Fishing gear, oil and marine debris associated with seabirds at Bird Island, South Georgia, 1993/94

We record the first observations of oiled albatrosses at South Georiga, provide data on ingestion of plastics by albatrosses and giant petrels and report a six-fold increase over the previous year of the incidence of fishing line and hooks associated with, regurgitated by and impaled in seabirds. Although the ingestion of oil, plastics and fishing gear are probably causing only minor problems for South Georgia sea-birds at present, the increase in number and variety of environmental threats is a cause for concern. Members of CCAMLR are urged to do everything possible to eliminate or minimise these problems.