Expertise

Plastic waste and marine wildlife

Annually between 5 and 13 million tonnes of plastic are lost from land to sea and end up as what is known as ‘the plastic soup’. Marine birds and other wildlife accidentally ingest plastic litter or become entangled. Wageningen Marine Research investigates the impact of plastic debris on the marine environment and its wildlife. Our institute is founder of a permanent monitoring program of plastics in stomachs of Northern Fulmars in the North Sea. Results are used by Dutch and European authorities to evaluate and plan measures to reduce marine litter.