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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Water birds are among the most threatened, particularly due to pollution run off which can not only poison the birds directly, but can impact the entire food web.
Seagulls, Puffins, and Penguins are at increased risk of death by fishing industry. Some get caught during the fishing process, while others get tangled in ghost gear or accidentally swallow fishing lines. Countless dead chicks have been found along coastlines trapped in fishing industry traps, or nets. Skeletons are often found with fishing gear matted up in the space where their stomachs rotted away.
Types of Water Birds
Types of Water Birds
Albatross
Albatross
Cranes
Cranes
Ducks
Ducks
Flamingos
Flamingos
Flamingos are migratory animals who rely on wetland to feed and protect their nests from predators. As lakes around the world dry up due to climate change and over extraction of water, they have less places to raise their young.
Pelicans
Pelicans
Puffins
Puffins
Seabirds
Seabirds
Seagulls
Seagulls
Seagulls are one of the most threatened groups of birds. They are often caught at sea by the fishing industry's nets and again on land by ghost gear. Thanks to plastic pollution, these birds are often found dead along beaches after their stomachs fill up with plastic, blocking their guts and causing them to starve, or wrapping around their necks, choking
Terns
Terns
'Ghost gear' Piles Up in the Gulf of Maine Amid Plastic Onslaught on Oceans
8:14 minute video shows how lobster traps and other ghost gear traps baby seabirds, killing them before they can even reach adulthood.
Threats to Aquatic Birds
Threats to Aquatic Birds
The Fishing Industry
The Fishing Industry
Plastic Pollution
Plastic Pollution
"Consuming plastic leads to widespread scar tissue throughout the internal organs of these seabirds, which slowly starves them, causes kidney and liver disease, and makes them more susceptible to pathogens."
Researchers found that in addition serious damage to their stomach and digestive glands, birds go on to show outward signs including
Low body conditions - low fat which reduces their energy reserves.
Stunted growth
Shorter wing spans (a serious problem for migratory birds)
"as plastics float around in the ocean for a year, 10 years, a couple of decades, they basically act like a magnet or sponge, and they take all of the chemicals that we've put out into the atmosphere and elsewhere through things like fossil fuel burning, and they absorb it onto the surface so that the plastic becomes" as one marine biologist put it, "like a little toxic bullet.
It's... not just chemicals. Plastics that have been floating in the ocean for years can be vectors for a range of pathogens and diseases. So now we've kind of come full circle.
You've got plastics that can carry bacteria and viruses entering into an animal when it consumes that plastic, and then the plastic itself is breaking down the stomach's ability to defend itself — its mucosal barrier — and it kind of becomes like this loop where things kind of spiral a little bit out of control." - Plastic Pollution is so Bad for Animals it Now Has a Disease Name — 'Plasticosis'
Solutions
Solutions
Seafood Alternatives
Seafood Alternatives
As people move away from animal-heavy diets, there has been an explosion of seafood alternatives.
Click the Seafood Alternatives button to learn about some of the alternatives we've tried. Each section focuses on a specific species or food type, first discussing why that species should be protected instead of eaten, followed by a small selection of recipes and brands worth trying out.
Plastic Prevention & Cleanups
Plastic Prevention & Cleanups
Reduce Plastic Pollution
Reduce Plastic Pollution
Most large pieces of ocean plastic comes from the fishing industry and single-use plastics such as water bottles or food containers. Waste water from laundry dumps massive amounts of microplastics from synthetics clothing, while car and truck tires produce microplastics when rubber wears down on roads. Explore the button beneath to learn some simple ways you can help reduce plastic pollution.
Plastic Cleanups
Plastic Cleanups
Once plastic has entered waterways, it can cause harm throughout multiple environments before it even gets to our oceans, where is can exist for hundreds of years. Click the Plastic Cleanup button to learn about different tools, techniques, and organizations you can join to help protect aquatic environments.
Ocean Plastic Products
Ocean Plastic Products
You can also explore the Ocean Plastic Products page to help financially support organizations turning the plastic they recover into useful products.
Wetland Conservation & Creation
Wetland Conservation & Creation
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Tools & Apps
Tools & Apps
International
International
Penguin Watch "Count penguins, chicks and eggs in far away lands to help us understand their lives and environment." Anyone over 5 years old can do this using the time lapse cameras.
Seabirdwatch "Help monitor seabird populations by tagging time-lapse images"
Africa
Africa
Namibia
Namibia
Atlasing in Namibia: Bird Information System "Citizen science projects recording biodiversity and cultural heritage in Namibia"
North America
North America
All About Birds: Bird Guide "ID North American help and life history info for 600+ species"
USA
USA
Utah
PELIcams "Pelicans at Great Salt Lake need your help and so do the scientists who study them!"
Programs & Projects
Programs & Projects
North America
North America
USA
USA
Texas
Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP) "focus on harvested croplands, moist-soil areas, emergent wetlands and other created wetlands to increase biodiversity for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species. In return, landowners sign a minimum-10-year wetland development agreement and commit to managing and maintaining the wetlands. TPWP works closely with rice producers to improve fields and infrastructure for water conservation, production and habitat management.
Each year, TPWP projects provide critical staging and wintering habitat for thousands of waterfowl, including white-fronted geese, snow geese, northern pintails, green- and blue-winged teal, gadwalls, northern shovelers and redheads. Resident fulvous and black-bellied whistling ducks, as well as mottled ducks, rely heavily on permanent and semi-permanent wetlands for nesting and brood rearing during the spring and summer.
Many landowners utilize TPWP projects for hunting leases and ecotourism. Many sites are also on rice farms, a declining agricultural entity along the Gulf Coast. By working with private landowners to increase and restore wetland habitats, water quality and water quantity an issue of great concern in Texas can be improved."
Europe
Europe
OSPAR "is the mechanism by which 15 Governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.
OSPAR started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping and was broadened to cover land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, up-dated and extended by the 1992 OSPAR Convention. The new annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
OSPAR is so named because of the original Oslo and Paris Conventions ("OS" for Oslo and "PAR" for Paris)."
North America
North America
Net Your Problem this organization's "mission is to engage a variety of stakeholders and partners to create an economically viable pathway to recycle end of life fishing gear, improve waste management, contribute to the circular economy, and reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions related to virgin plastic production." They have locations in Canada and the USA, but have to send their harvested netting to Europe for recycling.
USA
USA
Illinois
Bird Conservation Network "We are a coalition of over 20 conservation groups, including bird clubs, ornithological societies, and conservation organizations sharing an interest in the preservation of our local birds and the habitats they need to survive."
Texas
Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP) "focus on harvested croplands, moist-soil areas, emergent wetlands and other created wetlands to increase biodiversity for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species. In return, landowners sign a minimum-10-year wetland development agreement and commit to managing and maintaining the wetlands. TPWP works closely with rice producers to improve fields and infrastructure for water conservation, production and habitat management.
Each year, TPWP projects provide critical staging and wintering habitat for thousands of waterfowl, including white-fronted geese, snow geese, northern pintails, green- and blue-winged teal, gadwalls, northern shovelers and redheads. Resident fulvous and black-bellied whistling ducks, as well as mottled ducks, rely heavily on permanent and semi-permanent wetlands for nesting and brood rearing during the spring and summer.
Many landowners utilize TPWP projects for hunting leases and ecotourism. Many sites are also on rice farms, a declining agricultural entity along the Gulf Coast. By working with private landowners to increase and restore wetland habitats, water quality and water quantity an issue of great concern in Texas can be improved."
Grants & Funding
Grants & Funding
North America
North America
USA
USA
Florida
Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund "This includes projects that address on-the-ground habitat restoration; water quality improvement; applied research and monitoring; and community-based social marketing campaigns. Proposals that benefit historically underserved and overburdened communities are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to proposals that are aligned with conservation objectives and priorities described below.
Awards typically range from $25,000-$250,000. A minimum 1:1 match of cash or in-kind/contributed goods and services is required. Eligible applicants include local, state, and federal governments; non-profit organizations; and educational institutions. Projects should not exceed a three-year timeline from contract execution to completion."
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