Marine pollution in fledged Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) from Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Leach's storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) is one of the most abundant and widely distributed marine birds in the North Atlantic but is under global population decline, possibly linked to marine pollution. We determined levels of ingested plastic and hepatic total mercury (THg) in recently fledged juveniles that stranded in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and assessed the relationship to body condition, size and diet. Plastic prevalence was high (87.5%) but hepatic THg was relatively low (mean 486.7 ng/g dry weight) compared to other studies. Levels of neither pollutant were significantly related to body metrics of health. Our data confirm that plastic and mercury are pervasive in the western North Atlantic Ocean, prominent even in young birds.

Automated summary

The Leach's storm-petrel, a widely distributed marine bird in the North Atlantic, is facing a global population decline possibly due to marine pollution. Despite high plastic ingestion and relatively low hepatic total mercury levels in young birds in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the pollutants were not significantly related to health metrics. This study confirms the pervasive presence of plastic and mercury in the western North Atlantic Ocean, even in young birds.