BE3 - Monitoring of plastic particles in stomachs of fulmars

OSPAR monitors and assesses plastics in the stomachs of northern fulmars in the Greater North Sea as one of its indicators of environmental quality. Fulmars are abundant and widespread seabirds known to regularly ingest litter, with nearly all individuals having at least some plastic in their stomachs. Although fulmars forage near the water surface, their stomachs may also contain items from deeper water or items that may be indirectly ingested through their prey.
 
The fulmar Indicator Assessment approach is originally based on a previous OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO). The monitoring program uses corpses of beached birds or individuals accidentally killed. OSPAR has a Fulmar Threshold Value (Fulmar-TV) of less than 10% of fulmars exceeding a level of 0.1 gram of plastic in their stomachs. Research methods and results have been published in reports and peer-reviewed scientific literature and dedicated OSPAR Guidelines. While this indicator is currently used in the Greater North Sea it is also suitable for implementation in the Arctic and Celtic Seas, and has already been used in fulmar studies elsewhere in the North Atlantic and North Pacific regions.”

The fulmar indicator is used by North Sea countries for MSFD reporting for the criteria D10C1 floating litter and D10C3 ingested litter, respectively.
The fulmar assessment is performed and reported both at the Greater North Sea level (for OSPAR and MSFD) and the national level (for MSFD).

Which other countries are involved in practical implementation of this monitoring programme, and what is the degree of cooperation.

[Monitoring Purpose]