Scientists Use Dead Seabirds to Track Ocean Plastic for Four Decades
Wageningen, Saturday, 17 January 2026.
Wageningen researchers have been examining storm petrel stomachs since 1980, revealing that 58% of these seabirds now exceed safe plastic levels. This groundbreaking monitoring system uses the birds as living pollution detectors, providing crucial data on North Sea contamination. While plastic levels have decreased over 20 years, current trends suggest the EU safety threshold won’t be met until 2087, highlighting the persistent challenge of marine plastic pollution.
Four Decades of Marine Monitoring Innovation
Wageningen Marine Research has pioneered an innovative approach to tracking marine plastic pollution since 1980, using storm petrels as biological indicators of North Sea contamination [1]. The research program began when Jan Andries van Franeker observed plastic in storm petrels’ intestines during the 1980s, including specimens from Antarctica, leading to his recommendation to establish systematic monitoring [1]. Since 2002, the stomach contents of North Sea storm petrels have officially served as an indicator of plastic levels in the North Sea [1].
Current Research Leadership and Methodology
Marine ecologist Susanne Kühn has led this critical research at Wageningen Marine Research since 2020, taking over from the program’s founder Jan Andries van Franeker [1]. The research is commissioned by both the European Union and OSPAR, reflecting its international importance for marine environmental policy [1]. Kühn operates from Den Helder, where volunteers collect storm petrels along the Dutch coast and islands, storing them in freezers for detailed analysis [1]. The methodology involves categorizing plastic found in storm petrel stomachs into pellets and user plastic, with scientists providing further sub-categorization for comprehensive data collection [1].
Alarming Current Findings and Trends
The 2023 data reveals concerning plastic levels in North Sea storm petrels, with Kühn examining 26 birds found on the Dutch coast [1]. Of these specimens, 15 exceeded the EU “Fulmar Threshold-Value” of 0.1 grams of plastic in their stomachs, with an average of 0.32 grams discovered per bird [1]. Over a broader timeframe from 2019 to 2023, Kühn examined 231 birds, finding that 53% exceeded the safety threshold [1]. The annual examination numbers have varied significantly, with 14 storm petrels examined in 2021, 66 in 2022, and 26 forming the basis of the 2023 report [1]. According to Kühn’s research standards, only ten percent of storm petrels per year should contain more than 0.1 grams of plastic in their stomachs [1].
Progress and Future Projections
While the research has documented some positive trends, the timeline for achieving EU safety standards remains lengthy [1]. The plastic percentage in storm petrels has decreased over the last 20 years, but at the current rate of improvement, the threshold value will not be reached until 2087 [1]. The data shows differentiated progress across plastic types: pellet plastic in storm petrel stomachs has decreased due to increased industry awareness, while user plastic levels have remained stable since the 1990s [1]. Some specific improvements have been noted, such as decreased balloon litter due to coastal municipalities banning balloon releases [1]. Kühn processes data from North Sea countries every five years, compiling comprehensive overview reports that inform regional environmental policy [1]. This long-term monitoring system demonstrates how wildlife research provides essential environmental data for climate and pollution mitigation strategies, offering policymakers concrete evidence of both progress and persistent challenges in marine plastic pollution [1].