The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment
Atlantic leatherback turtles are faced with multiple threats, such as ship strikes, pollution and predation, throughout their annual migratory routes in the Northwest (NW) Atlantic. The risks associated with encounters with floating and submerged plastic debris are currently unknown. This study is a...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b252378967b34745a84c01ea3628f812 2023-05-15T17:22:52+02:00 The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment Noémie Blais Peter G. Wells 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 https://doaj.org/article/b252378967b34745a84c01ea3628f812 EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402203715X https://doaj.org/toc/2405-8440 2405-8440 doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 https://doaj.org/article/b252378967b34745a84c01ea3628f812 Heliyon, Vol 8, Iss 12, Pp e12427- (2022) Atlantic provinces Hazard assessment Leatherback turtles Marine plastic debris Northwest Atlantic ocean Shoreline litter Science (General) Q1-390 Social sciences (General) H1-99 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 2022-12-30T19:25:26Z Atlantic leatherback turtles are faced with multiple threats, such as ship strikes, pollution and predation, throughout their annual migratory routes in the Northwest (NW) Atlantic. The risks associated with encounters with floating and submerged plastic debris are currently unknown. This study is a hazard assessment of plastics for this turtle's sub-population, using 2010–2019 data from the national Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GSCS) program, therefore potential exposure, and published evidence on the interactions of plastics and leatherbacks, hence potential effects. The type of plastic items and their abundance along shorelines of three Atlantic Provinces – Nova Scotia (NS), Prince Edward Island (PEI), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) – were evaluated and compared to plastic items known to interact with leatherbacks. During the 2010–2019 period, a total of 220,590 plastic items were collected from 578 sites, representing 1264 km of shoreline. Plastic bags and rope are in the top ten most common items found on shorelines of NS, PEI, and NL. Pot gear and trap nets are in the top ten for PEI and are the 14th most common plastic item found on all shorelines. Cigarette debris is also commonly found. From the literature, plastic bags, pot gear and trap nets, and rope are known to adversely affect leatherbacks. Assuming that a large proportion of the shoreline debris comes in from the sea, after being in coastal waters for unknown periods, the study shows that such items pose a hazard to leatherbacks through ingestion and entanglement, based on published studies. Evidence is now needed on actual exposure at sea to the most common items to establish the ecological risk of plastics to these turtles in NW Atlantic waters. Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland Northwest Atlantic Prince Edward Island Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Newfoundland Heliyon 8 12 e12427 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Atlantic provinces Hazard assessment Leatherback turtles Marine plastic debris Northwest Atlantic ocean Shoreline litter Science (General) Q1-390 Social sciences (General) H1-99 |
spellingShingle |
Atlantic provinces Hazard assessment Leatherback turtles Marine plastic debris Northwest Atlantic ocean Shoreline litter Science (General) Q1-390 Social sciences (General) H1-99 Noémie Blais Peter G. Wells The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
topic_facet |
Atlantic provinces Hazard assessment Leatherback turtles Marine plastic debris Northwest Atlantic ocean Shoreline litter Science (General) Q1-390 Social sciences (General) H1-99 |
description |
Atlantic leatherback turtles are faced with multiple threats, such as ship strikes, pollution and predation, throughout their annual migratory routes in the Northwest (NW) Atlantic. The risks associated with encounters with floating and submerged plastic debris are currently unknown. This study is a hazard assessment of plastics for this turtle's sub-population, using 2010–2019 data from the national Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GSCS) program, therefore potential exposure, and published evidence on the interactions of plastics and leatherbacks, hence potential effects. The type of plastic items and their abundance along shorelines of three Atlantic Provinces – Nova Scotia (NS), Prince Edward Island (PEI), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) – were evaluated and compared to plastic items known to interact with leatherbacks. During the 2010–2019 period, a total of 220,590 plastic items were collected from 578 sites, representing 1264 km of shoreline. Plastic bags and rope are in the top ten most common items found on shorelines of NS, PEI, and NL. Pot gear and trap nets are in the top ten for PEI and are the 14th most common plastic item found on all shorelines. Cigarette debris is also commonly found. From the literature, plastic bags, pot gear and trap nets, and rope are known to adversely affect leatherbacks. Assuming that a large proportion of the shoreline debris comes in from the sea, after being in coastal waters for unknown periods, the study shows that such items pose a hazard to leatherbacks through ingestion and entanglement, based on published studies. Evidence is now needed on actual exposure at sea to the most common items to establish the ecological risk of plastics to these turtles in NW Atlantic waters. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Noémie Blais Peter G. Wells |
author_facet |
Noémie Blais Peter G. Wells |
author_sort |
Noémie Blais |
title |
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
title_short |
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
title_full |
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
title_fullStr |
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
title_full_unstemmed |
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the Northwest Atlantic ocean: A hazard assessment |
title_sort |
leatherback turtle (dermochelys coriacea) and plastics in the northwest atlantic ocean: a hazard assessment |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 https://doaj.org/article/b252378967b34745a84c01ea3628f812 |
geographic |
Newfoundland |
geographic_facet |
Newfoundland |
genre |
Newfoundland Northwest Atlantic Prince Edward Island |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland Northwest Atlantic Prince Edward Island |
op_source |
Heliyon, Vol 8, Iss 12, Pp e12427- (2022) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402203715X https://doaj.org/toc/2405-8440 2405-8440 doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 https://doaj.org/article/b252378967b34745a84c01ea3628f812 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12427 |
container_title |
Heliyon |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
e12427 |
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