The AZTI Foundation , with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation and Ecoembes, launched the project “Incidence and quantification of microplastics in marine predators in the Bay of Biscay” in order to assess the presence of these toxic particles in seabirds and fish in the eastern Cantabrian Sea. AZTI has worked together with local entities and NGOs to collect specimens of several species of seabirds, quantify the amount of microplastics they have ingested and, finally, determine the biological indicators, such as sex or maturity, associated with the presence of these particles.

TheThe EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive includes the presence of marine litter as one of the descriptors for assessing the environmental status of the coastline and, among them, microplastics are included, which reflects the importance of this problem for the conservation and management of the marine environment. In addition, birds represent one of the most threatened groups of marine predators, given that their populations have declined by 70% between 1950 and 2010.

Within the framework of the project, two protocols have been developed to evaluate and quantify the ingestion of plastics by the common guillemot (Uria aalge) and the Atlantic gannet (Morus bassanus) through laboratory analysis. Plastics were found in 5 of the 50 guillemots analysed (10%). The size range of the plastics was 1.8-45 mm. of fragments, foam and fiber, with respect to the gannets, plastics were found in 4 of the 23 individuals analyzed (17%). All the plastics corresponded to nylon fishing lines and they found hooks in two of the individuals. The prevalence of plastics obtained in this study is comparable to that recorded in other studies and areas of the North Atlantic, and also reflects the interaction of fishing activities with seabirds in this area.

In addition, numerous dissemination, dissemination and communication actions have been carried out for different interest groups and through various media, such as web and social networks, meetings and talks with local entities and scientific forums.