Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Aug;145:295-305. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.05.042. Epub 2019 Jun 3.
Oceanic plastic pollution is a growing worldwide environmental concern, endangering numerous marine species. Pinnipeds are particularly susceptible to entanglement, especially in abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear and packaging straps. We searched three international databases to compile a comprehensive review of all reported pinniped entanglements over the last 40 years, with the aim to identify areas of concern and foci for mitigation. The majority of published records of entanglement emanate from North America and Oceania and are focused on a few populous species (notably, Zalophus californianus and Arctocephalus gazella). Reporting bias, skewed research effort and incomplete understanding of plastic pollution and pinniped abundance overlap, combine to cloud our understanding of the entanglement problem. Broader geographical effort in entanglement data collection, reporting of such data, and improved quantification of the proportions of populations, sexes and ages that are most susceptible, will aid our efforts to pinpoint priority mitigation measures.
海洋塑料污染是一个日益严重的全球性环境问题，威胁着众多海洋物种。鳍足类动物特别容易被缠住，尤其是在废弃、丢失或丢弃的渔具和包装带中。我们搜索了三个国际数据库，对过去 40 年来所有报告的鳍足类动物缠绕事件进行了综合审查，目的是确定关注的领域和缓解的重点。大多数已发表的缠绕记录来自北美和大洋洲，并且集中在少数几种人口较多的物种（特别是加利福尼亚海狮和南美海狗）上。报告偏差、研究努力的偏向以及对塑料污染和鳍足类动物丰度重叠的理解不完整，使得我们对缠绕问题的理解变得模糊不清。在缠绕数据收集、此类数据的报告以及更准确地量化最易受影响的种群、性别和年龄比例方面，更广泛的地理努力将有助于我们确定优先缓解措施。
