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Marine Debris Project Final Report 2014

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similar analysis to that described above for seabirds - though this will focus on entanglement rather thaningestion and it incorporates fishing effort and gear loss at a global scale.Chemical marker assay: We have successfully developed a chemical marker assay to identify plasticsexposure in seabirds. With a simple field-based method we can quickly and with minimal intrusion, swabthe uropygial gland of a bird to test for some of the main plasticizers used in plastics manufacturing.Furthermore, we have initiated a collaboration with Bird Life International on chemical marker approachesto quantify plastics ingestion in seabirds. (Figure 7)Figure 7. Chromatograms showing examples of phthalates (plasticizer residues) and their occurrence indifferent samples. (A) Three standards: dimethyl phthalate (DMP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP); (B) Procedural blank showing no phthalate residues; (C) Extract of preen oilcollected from a dead Shearwater with abundant plastic content in stomach (contains DBP and DEHP); (D)Extract of preen oil collected from a live Bridled Tern, Houtman Abrolhos Is. (little or no plastic content instomach).Page | 234

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