Kudos
Kunnskapsdokumenter i offentlig sektor

Statusrapport

Short report from the EcoQO monitoring of plastic particles in stomachs of fulmars beached on the coast of Southern Norway in 2002-2023 or taken as unintentional bycatch in fisheries 2013-2023 : M-2698

In Norway, annual monitoring for the EcoQO on plastic particles in stomachs of beached fulmars was initiated in Lista in Vest-Agder (now Agder) county in winter 2002/03. Since 2010, most of the work has been done in the neighbouring county Rogaland. The fieldwork is conducted by volunteers affiliated to local departments of BirdLife Norway (formerly the Norwegian Ornithological Society) and is administered by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) with financial support from the Norwegian Environment Agency. In 2022, with additional funding from the Norwegian Environment Agency, NINA initiated monitoring for the EcoQO on plastic particles also in Northern Norway, utilizing fulmars taken as unintentional bycatch in commercial fisheries. Collection of, and dissections of these birds are also financially supported through the Norwegian seabird bycatch project (administered by NINA with financial support from the Norwegian Environment Agency). Through collaboration with the reference fleet of the Marine Research Institute, as well as interested fishermen outside of the reference fleet, fulmars that are unintentionally taken as bycatch are collected and sent to NINA. In 2022, the sampling was restricted to Northern Norway, while in 2023, we also attempted to obtain fulmars taken as bycatch in the North Sea area.