Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

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pellet. The only drawback with storm-petrels is that some 30% of
pellets have to be discarded because they contain the remains of
more than one prey item.
Schofield, David, Andy Stamper, Brent Whitaker, and Joseph Geraci
A Young Whale, the Victim of Ocean-Borne Plastic
National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
On Thanksgiving Day, 1993, an orphaned pygmy sperm whale, Kogia
breviceps, was found stranded in a New Jersey inlet. The animal,
which was rescued by the Brigantine Stranding Center, New Jersey,
was air-lifted the following day by the Coast Guard to the
National Aquarium in Baltimore. There she was placed in a large
pool and given round-the-clock intensive care.
The animal was thin, would eat very little, and showed signs of
gastrointestinal disease. She listed to one side, swam feebly,
and was unable to dive more than a few feet. An examination of
her stomach revealed the presence of impacted plastic. Repeated
attempts to retrieve the debris were finally met with success,
after which the animal's behavior and appetite improved
dramatically. In her short stay in Baltimore, she has gained 112
pounds and now weighs 318 pounds.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore's Marine Animal Rescue Program
is presently preparing the whale for release back to the sea. A
healthy whale now, but will she once again mistake the undulating
movement of plastic for that of her primary diet, squid?
Slater, Janet E.
Plastic Ingestion by Seabirds in Tasmania, Australia
Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart City,
Tasmania, Australia
The stomach contents of 24 dead, beachwashed fairy penguins,
Eudyotula minor, 3 short-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus
tenuirostris, and 2 fairy prions Pachptila turtur, were examined
for plastic ingestion.
Plastic particles were found in three penguins and two shorttailed
shearwaters. Articles included pieces of soft plastic,
plastic beads, pieces of hard plastic and one lid from a medicine
bottle. In one bird, the plastic appeared to have obstructed the
passage of food into the intestine, causing the stomach to swell
and burst through the body wall.
Evidence suggests that the plastics originate from a variety of
sources, and these and the hazards of plastic levels in the
seabirds are discussed.