Plastic ingestion by two cetacean groups: Ziphiidae and Delphinidae

Abstract

The presence of plastic in our environment is having a massive impact on today's marine biota. Whales and dolphins are becoming sentinels of litter pollution as plastic entanglement and ingestion affect them with unknown consequences. Although information exists about this anthropogenic interaction, the compilation of this data on metastudies is difficult due to the use of varied methodologies. A combination of our own data as well as a review of historical data was used to complete an extensive study of how cetaceans are interacting with macro and micro-litter at a global level. Here, we identify the plastic uptake by two cetacean families: Ziphiidae and Delphinidae, thus allowing for a better understanding in order to offer a global overview of their current status. Additionally, analysis was run on the plastic found in the digestive contents of stranded specimens of two Cuvier's beaked whales and fourteen striped dolphins in the Alboran Sea, in the Western Mediterranean, a hotspot for marine megafauna. Out of 623 stranded cetaceans from datasets, beaked whales displayed the highest concentration of macro, meso and microplastic in the Western Pacific Ocean. Regarding striped dolphins, Eastern Spain was the location with the highest plastic ingestion. Moreover, deep divers such as beaked whales ingested more plastic than striped dolphins which could be as a consequence of their feeding behavior or habitat. Thus, this overview provides useful information concerning conservation issues on how cetacean hotspots are highly affected by marine plastic ingestion.

Keywords: Alboran sea; Apex predator; Fibers; Marine contamination; Marine mammals; Plastic pollution.