Marine debris ingestion by the South American Fur Seal from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

OTT, PAULO H.; MANDIOLA, MARÍA AGUSTINA; RODRIGUEZ, DIEGO; MACHADO, RODRIGO; DENUNCIO, PABLO; DE OLIVEIRA, LARISSA ROSA; PÉREZ SALLES, SOFÍA BELÉN

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2017 vol. 122 p. 420 - 425

0025-326X

In this paper, we examined the ingestion of marine debris (MD) in South American fur seals (SAFS), Arctocephalus australis, found dead in coastal beaches of northern Argentina and southern Brazil. Seven percent of 133 SAFS analyzed presented marine debris in their stomach (n = 10), with no differences between sampling countries (Brazil n = 7, Argentina n = 3) and sexes (female = 3; male = 6). However, significant differences were observed between ages classes, with MD exclusively present in stomach contents of young specimens. Plastics represents 90% of MD ingested by the SAFS, whereas regarding the source, fishery-related items (e.g. monofilament lines) were the main MD (70%), with a lesser proportion of packaging (e.g. pieces of bags). Low numbers but large size pieces of MD were found in each stomach affected. Negative effects on the individuals could not be fully evaluated. Therefore, the potential impacts of the marine debris to the SAFS deserve further elucidation.