Plastic loads of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) collected as bycatch in the North Atlantic

The northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is a seabird species that is widely used as bioindicator for marine floating plastics, primarily studied in the North Sea using beached birds. We here investigated if northern fulmars from unintentional fisheries bycatch in the waters around East Greenland, Iceland, North and Central Norway could improve our understanding of how plastic loads differ regionally across the North Atlantic. Overall, 81% of the investigated northern fulmars (N = 507) collected in 2018-2024 contained plastics in their stomachs, and 20% exceeded the OSPAR EcoQO threshold of 0.1 g of plastics. Northern fulmars from North Norway and East Greenland contained more plastic items than birds from Iceland, but no regional differences were found for mass of plastics. Average particle mass per individual was lower in North Norway than Iceland. Interpretation of these patterns is complicated by the northern fulmars' high mobility and lack of data about floating plastics and their sizes in the North Atlantic.