Marine debris and fishing gear associated with seabirds at Bird Island, South Georgia, 1996/97

In the fourth year of standardised recording of man-made debris associated with seabirds at Bird Island, South Georgia, ingested and regurgitated plastic items were reported for wandering albatrosses (three items), grey-headed albatrosses (one item) and white-chinned petrels (two items). Fishing gear was reported in association with grey-headed albatrosses (four squid jigs), black-browed albatrosses (three hooks and line, found next to nests), wandering albatrosses (15 hooks and/or line, eight found next to nests, six in squid pellets and one internally lodged in an adult) and adult regurgitates of nylon line thought to originate from trawlers (three items). The incidence of southern giant petrels involved with fishing gear (four items) is a four fold increase on previous reports. Levels of fishing gear associated with black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses are similar to previous years but records for wandering albatrosses were halved compared to last year. Nevertheless evidence of continued discarding of plastic material and the loss of long-line fishing gear, especially hooks, remains a cause for concern.