人类衍生的碎片在海洋中的积累是全球关注的问题,也是对海洋野生动物的严重威胁。有大量证据表明,海洋垃圾(MD)在纠缠和摄取方面对鲸目动物的有害影响。这篇综述表明,大约68%的鲸类动物物种受到与MD相互作用的影响,据报道在过去几十年中与MD相互作用的物种数量有所增加。尽管证据越来越多,关于塑料对鲸目动物的实际影响正在进行辩论,特别是,参考微塑料的摄入及其潜在的毒理学和致病作用。目前的知识表明,观察到的与塑料相互作用的速率和性质的差异是物种特异性潜水和喂养策略存在实质性差异的结果。对生产的现有预测,塑料的使用和处置表明海洋塑料污染进一步增加。在这种情况下,正在进行的COVID-19大流行对海洋塑料污染的贡献似乎是巨大的,对包括鲸目动物在内的海洋生物有潜在的严重后果。此外,新冠肺炎大流行为调查行业之间的直接联系提供了机会,人类行为和MD对鲸目动物的影响。这可以帮助通知管理层,预防努力,描述知识差距并指导研究工作的进展。这篇评论强调了缺乏对与MD相关的人口水平影响的评估,并表明对于已经受到其他人为活动压力的小人口来说,这些可能是相当直接的。最后,我们认为MD不仅仅是一种污染,经济和社会问题,也是对所涉及的物种和种群的福利关注。
The accumulation of human-derived debris in the oceans is a global concern and a serious threat to marine wildlife. There is a volume of evidence that points to deleterious effects of marine debris (MD) on cetaceans in terms of both entanglement and ingestion. This review suggests that about 68% of cetacean species are affected by interacting with MD with an increase in the number of species reported to have interacted with it over the past decades. Despite the growing body of evidence, there is an ongoing debate on the actual effects of plastics on cetaceans and, in particular, with reference to the ingestion of microplastics and their potential toxicological and pathogenic effects. Current knowledge suggests that the observed differences in the rate and nature of interactions with plastics are the result of substantial differences in species-specific diving and feeding strategies. Existing projections on the production, use and disposal of plastics suggest a further increase of marine plastic pollution. In this context, the contribution of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to marine plastic pollution appears to be substantial, with potentially serious consequences for marine life including cetaceans. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to investigate the direct links between industry, human behaviours and the effects of MD on cetaceans. This could help inform management, prevention efforts, describe knowledge gaps and guide advancements in research efforts. This review highlights the lack of assessments of population-level effects related to MD and suggests that these could be rather immediate for small populations already under pressure from other anthropogenic activities. Finally, we suggest that MD is not only a pollution, economic and social issue, but also a welfare concern for the species and populations involved.