A recent study has brought to light worrying data regarding plastic pollution in the central Tyrrhenian Seafocusing in particular on razorbills found dead during the winter of 2022-2023 along the Italian coasts.
These birds, typical of the North Atlantic and usually rarely present in the Mediterranean, have wintered in exceptional numberswith a contingent of approximately 750 individuals. Researchers from the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, together with the Federico II University and the Portuguese MARE Institute, examined the carcasses of these magpies, revealing that 66% of them contained plastic.
Analysis showed that the plastic fragments they were present mainly in the stomachbut also in other organs such as the liver and pectoral muscle. The plastic ingested varied in size: 38% of the fragments exceeded 5 millimeters, while the remaining 62% fell into the microplastic category.
In particular, polyethylene and polypropylene were present
The two most frequently encountered polymers were the polyethyleneused to produce bags and bottles, and the polypropyleneused in the manufacture of containers for products such as detergents and yogurt. According to the researchers, the high presence of plastic in these birds, which feed mainly on pelagic fish, represents a potential contributory cause of their death.
Razorbills may mistake plastic fragments for dead fish, often fooled by the olfactory characteristics of the debris colonized by algae and microorganisms. Ingesting plastic causes serious health problems for birds, including blockages of the digestive tract, malnutrition and, in extreme cases, death.
This phenomenon is worrying especially due to the high concentration of plastics in the Mediterranean, which, being a semi-closed basin, it collects a higher quantity of microplastics than other seaslike the North Pacific Ocean. On the contrary, studies conducted in areas of the North Atlantic indicate a very reduced or even absent presence of plastic in razorbill carcasses.
This study highlights once again how the presence of plastic in the Mediterranean represents a serious threat to biodiversity navyand how razorbills, properly monitored, can act as indicators of the severity of the phenomenon which unfortunately is increasingly growing. A decisive and important intervention is therefore urgently needed to put a stop to all this and stop the death of thousands of animals.