A standard protocol for monitoring marine debris using seabird stomach contents: the Fulmar EcoQO approach from the North Sea.

Abstract

The ultimate fate and environmental impact of marine plastic debris is a major policy concern that requires reliable assessments of regional pollution levels and rates of change: such information is critical for efficient decision making and setting the right priorities of measures to be taken. Bio-monitoring can provide such assessments by integrating pollution levels over space and time with an immediate link to ecological impact. It is the ecological impact that generates public awareness of the urgency of the problem and the willingness to accept and support measures to deal with that problem.