Seabirds and PPE

Seeking information about seabirds getting entangled with or ingesting PPE litter or using PPE litter for nesting material.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased use of single-use plastic in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Due to the lack of educational campaigns and disposal infrastructure from municipalities there has been an influx of PPE litter across our environments from urban landscapes to marine coastlines (for example, read here). We are a group of researchers interested in documenting the interactions between PPE litter and seabirds. We would like to receive any reports of seabirds (broadly defined) getting entangled with or ingesting PPE litter or using PPE litter for nesting material.

Please report them through the Birds & Debris website by 10 May 2021.

Please provide as much detail as possible, including type of interaction (ingestion or entanglement or nest incorporation), type of PPE (disposable/reusable masks, disinfectant wipes, face shields and disposable gloves), date of sighting, location, species name and any other details of the event.

Many thanks,
Justine Ammendolia, Alex Bond, Neil James, Elizabeth Masden, Nina O’Hanlon, Jackie Saturno“