After ship collision in North Sea, plastic pellets wash ashore, threaten wildlife

Plastic pellets are washing ashore in an internationally important, protected area called the Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation on Sunday, sparking UK authorities to issue a pollution warning for parts of the UK. This area is an especially important bird habitat for rare and threatened terns and wading birds and is happening at a crucial migration time.

These pellets were spilled into the sea after  an oil tanker and a container ship collided in the North Sea on Monday, March 10th, resulting in explosions and fires, 17,515 barrels of aviation fuel spilled, and the death of a crew-member. 

Clean-up efforts have begun both on land and at sea, but plastic pellets are nearly impossible to contain, as they quickly spread due to their size and ability to be carried by waves and wind. 

Under 5 mm in size, plastic pellets are rarely seen by most people, but are mass produced to be melted and molded into everyday plastic products– everything from single-use plastic straws, to kid’s party favors, to car bumpers. It is estimated that 10 trillion plastic pellets enter our oceans every year.

Birds, fish, turtles, and crustaceans can confuse plastic pellets for food, as pellets resemble organic matter, such as tadpoles, fish and salamander eggs. If they mistake too many pellets for food, they can starve, as the plastic blocks their digestive tracts. Migration season presents a particular risk that birds will mistake the pellets for food and feed them to their chicks. 

Join our citizen science effort to better understand plastic pellet pollution on May 3rd with the International Plastic Pellet Count.