Review of plastic pollution policies of Arctic countries in relation to seabirds
Jannie F. Linnebjerg,
Julia E. Baak,
Tom Barry,
Maria V. Gavrilo,
Mark L. Mallory,
Flemming R. Merkel,
Courtney Price,
Jakob Strand,
Tony R. Walker,
Jennifer F. Provencher
Affiliations
Jannie F. Linnebjerg
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Julia E. Baak
Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
Tom Barry
CAFF International Secretariat, Borgir, Nordurslod, 600 Akureyri, Iceland Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Sæmundargata 2, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland
Maria V. Gavrilo
Association “Maritime Heritage: Explore & Sustain”, Icebreaker “Krassin”, The Lieutenant Schmidt emb, 23 Line, 199106 Saint-Petersburg, Russia BirdsRussia, 70, Nigegorodskaja str., building 1, Moscow, 109029, Russia Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), Saint-Petersburg, 198397, Russia
Mark L. Mallory
Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
Flemming R. Merkel
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
Courtney Price
CAFF International Secretariat, Borgir, Nordurslod, 600 Akureyri, Iceland
Jakob Strand
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Tony R. Walker
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Jennifer F. Provencher
Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON K0A 1H0, Canada
Marine plastic is a ubiquitous environmental problem that can have an impact on a variety of marine biota, such as seabirds, making it an important concern for scientists and policy makers. Although research on plastic ingestion by seabirds is increasing, few studies have examined policies and long-term monitoring programs to reduce marine plastic in the Arctic. This paper provides a review of international, national, and regional policies and long-term monitoring programs that address marine plastic in relation to seabirds in the Arctic countries: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. Results show that a broad range of international, national, regional and local policies address marine debris, specifically through waste management and the prevention of pollution from ships. However, few policies directly address seabirds and other marine biota. Further, policies are implemented inconsistently across regions, making it difficult to enforce and monitor the efficacy of these policies given the long-range transport of plastic pollution globally. To reduce marine plastic pollution in the Arctic environment, pan-Arctic and international collaboration is needed to implement standardized policies and long-term monitoring programs for marine plastic in the Arctic and worldwide.
