Marine Animal Welfare

Wild Seabird Plastic Ingestion Welfare

Plastic ingestion by seabirds causes chronic welfare harm through gut obstruction, reduced feeding capacity and toxic chemical exposure.

Key Facts

Over 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs based on sampling studies
Plastic ingestion causes false satiation, gut obstruction and reduced food intake
Parent birds feed plastic to chicks causing developmental welfare harm
Microplastics accumulate in tissues carrying persistent organic pollutants
Floating plastic debris concentrates surface-foraging prey making it unavoidable for some species

Welfare Considerations

Plastic ingestion causes chronic welfare harm to billions of individual seabirds globally. The scale of the problem reflects systemic plastic pollution rather than individual bird behaviour. Reduction of plastic entering marine environments through policy and consumer action is the only long-term welfare solution.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption and support plastic-free policy initiatives
Participate in coastal and beach clean events to reduce marine plastic load
Support seabird conservation organisations monitoring and researching plastic ingestion impacts