No accumulation of microplastics detected in western Canadian ringed seals (Pusa hispida)

Alexander M Jardine; Jennifer F Provencher; Stephen J Insley; Lila Tauzer; William D Halliday; Madelaine P T Bourdages; Magali Houde; Derek Muir; Jesse C Vermaire

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114692

No accumulation of microplastics detected in western Canadian ringed seals (Pusa hispida)

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar:188:114692. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114692. Epub 2023 Feb 6.

Authors

Alexander M Jardine¹, Jennifer F Provencher², Stephen J Insley³, Lila Tauzer⁴, William D Halliday⁵, Madelaine P T Bourdages⁶, Magali Houde⁷, Derek Muir⁷, Jesse C Vermaire⁶

Affiliations

¹ Aquatic Ecosystems and Environmental Change Laboratory, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Institute for Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Aquatic Ecosystems and Environmental Change Laboratory, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Institute for Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa K1S 5B6, ON, Canada.
³ Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada), 169 Titanium Way, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 0E9, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
⁴ Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada), 169 Titanium Way, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 0E9, Canada.
⁵ Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada), 169 Titanium Way, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 0E9, Canada; School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
⁶ Aquatic Ecosystems and Environmental Change Laboratory, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Institute for Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁷ Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC, H2Y 2E7, Canada.

PMID: 36753811
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114692

Abstract

Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) play a crucial role in Arctic food webs as important pelagic predators and represent an essential component of Inuvialuit culture and food security. Plastic pollution is recognized as a global threat of concern, and Arctic regions may act as sinks for anthropogenic debris. To date, mixed evidence exists concerning the propensity for Canadian Arctic marine mammals to ingest and retain plastic. Our study builds on existing literature by offering the first assessment of plastic ingestion in ringed seals harvested in the western Canadian Arctic. We detected no evidence of microplastic (particles ≥80 μm) retention in the stomachs of ten ringed seals from the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in the Northwest Territories, Canada. These results are consistent with previous studies that have found that some marine mammals do not accumulate microplastics in evaluated regions.

Keywords: Arctic; Microplastics; Pollution; Retention; Ringed seals.

MeSH terms

Animals
Arctic Regions
Canada
Caniformia*
Cetacea
Microplastics
Plastics
Seals, Earless*

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics