New @adriftlab.bsky.social study alert: we looked for plastic in the guts of 44 juvenile sharks and chimaera from the Bass Strait, gummy shark, southern saw shark, and elephant shark, all bycatch from 2018 trawl and longline fishing. 🦈 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Last night #AdriftLab were fortunate to attend a T’ɬakwagilogwa Cultural Event on Comorant Island in a remote corner of western Canada. Afterwards, one of the Elders invited us to a private event where we witnessed a Welcome Ceremony between two neighboring tribes.

Marine Environmental Research gave us 3 weeks to revise a paper. We asked for a 1-month extension because the first author is overseas. They said no, the most they can give is 2 weeks. Otherwise it's considered withdrawn.

A very strong El Niño is under way, strengthening through 2026 and into 2027. This presents a unique opportunity to observe and document how seabirds are responding to a warming ocean. Researchers, monitoring programmes and citizen scientists worldwide are warmly invited. Register: bit.ly/45hEsWz

Terribly sad news this morning. The loss of Bill Montevecch to the seabird community will be greatly felt 💔 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

World-renowned seabird biologist Bill Montevecchi has died | CBC News

Seabird biologist and Memorial University professor emeritus Bill Montevecchi died early Saturday morning. He was 80 years-old.

cbc.ca

NEW PAPER: Sable Shearwaters are long-lived migratory #seabirds that spend much of their lives at sea. Across their life cycle, they experience very different physiological demands. Read the paper (free) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Life‐stage variation in Sable Shearwater (<fi>Ardenna carneipes</fi>) physiology assessed using proteomics

Life-stage transitions in seabirds involve substantial shifts in physiological demands, yet the molecular mechanisms underpinning these changes remain poorly resolved. Here we applied untargeted data....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

In April, our team recovered a white plastic coin that read “Republic of Play Money”. It was produced in the Philippines in 1991. Thus, it spent ~35 years in the ocean before being ingested by an adult #shearwater while foraging in the #TasmanSea

Excited to share our #NewPaper in collaboration with BirdLife & #TraditionalOwners. We recorded Wedge-tailed #Shearwater body condition & #IngestedPlastics on a remote island in #Vanuatu

🍗Waste incl. #plastics are used to smoke food. New study highlights that this process releases various very toxic chemicals that contaminate the smoked food incl. PAHs (eg benzo[a]pyrene), dioxins, PCBs & PCDD/Fs along a contamination gradient: Wood < PE < PS < PVC. journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Effect of plastic composition in the combustion material on the Persistent Organic Pollutant content in smoked chicken meat

Traditional food smoking in Vietnam often uses biomass fuels, but the incidental inclusion of plastics can generate toxic pollutants. This study evaluated the effects of polyethylene (PE), polystyrene...

journals.plos.org

Check out these stunning artworks made from #plastic rope recovered from Australian beaches and woven into #art featuring the bones of #seabirds that washed up on many of the same beaches. This wonderful #ArtScience collaboration is all thanks to Castaway Textiles 💙🪢🐦🌊

“At the moment, the government is short-changing future generations, and will leave them with a degraded environment, uninsurable homes, and without many of the amazing nature experiences and benefits we have today” - me

Professor Euan Ritchie FAMS@euanritchie.bsky.social · 2mo ago

More than 400 scientists, young people, Indigenous leaders, and conservation experts have written collectively to @albomp.bsky.social and @jimchalmers.bsky.social, pleading for adequate $ to protect and restore nature biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/scienti... - @biodivcouncil.bsky.social

This hand-painted #shearwater was sent to an #AdriftLab team member with a note about #kindness and #gratitude. A reminder that whatever your talent, it has the greatest impact when used for good. Who knows, your small gesture might just be the kindness that someone desperately needed 💙

For decades, researchers have measured #PlasticPollution by counting individual pieces. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story: internal damage caused by plastic (eg. inflammation) is largely invisible

Our new research shows that HPAI increased Northern Gannet mortality by a factor of ~6 and ~4 at two of the world’s largest colonies. We predict this impact will take almost two decades to recover from. #biologicalconservation #seabirds #hpai Full paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111887

Another hard year for the #birds & our team. In 2 weeks we removed 1.1 kg of #plastics from Australian #shearwater chicks (>8850 pieces). Balloons clips, clothes pegs, tiling spacers, strapping tape, drink lids, nurdles, toys, cutlery - the list goes on & on 😞 #SeabirdSaturday #PlasticPollution

Over the past 20 yr, much of our research has been underpinned by our ability to apply numbered metal bands to young #seabirds so we can track their success over time. Jenn holds our #banding license, and has applied 1000s of bands. Each team member plays a key role; this has been one of Jenn’s.

Officially reached max-floof

The #AdriftLab team is back on #LordHoweIsland for another fluff-filled season of #seabird chicks 💙 @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social @thelabandfield.bsky.social

🔥#NewPaper🔥 We document lightning-ignited #bushfires on islands from the sub-Antarctic to tropics. These islands are of global biodiversity importance; without intervention, fires burn large portions of islands, with consequences for flora/fauna, including #seabirds doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

Our new article in @theconversation.com on why #seabirds are increasingly washing up on beaches in #Australia theconversation.com/more-shearwa...

More shearwaters are washing up dead on Australian beaches. It’s not due to ‘natural’ causes

When we see shearwaters washed up dead on beaches, we might think strong winds or a failed migration are to blame. That’s not the case – it’s hotter oceans

theconversation.com

Roll up, roll up! Looking for a postdoc? Want somewhere that's academia adjacent? Interested in seabirds, plastics, and conservation? Come work with me and @adriftlab.bsky.social! If you want to help develop an application, get in touch! #ornithology #seabirds #PhDjobs #PostdocJobs

European Commission@ec.europa.eu · 4mo ago

Big opportunities for researchers 🌍 We are investing nearly €400 million to help researchers share their work and collaborate with the best scientific teams across the EU. The 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open. More: link.europa.eu/PNxpxw

🧵 1/3 @adriftlab.bsky.social has never had government funding. What we have had - for nearly two decades - is a small group of deeply committed people, long-term datasets, and a community who makes it possible. Our website now celebrates that out loud. 🔗 adriftlab.org

Marine Plastic & Seabird Research | Adrift Lab

Adrift Lab is a research group focused on seabirds and marine plastics research. Our mission is to use insights gathered from our long-term research to inform marine and waste policy, and to drive pos...

adriftlab.org

Our newest #AdriftLab paper provides the first data on how Australian #seabirds are impacted by #MarineHeatwaves. So much gratitude for the 200+ #CitizenScientists who made this project possible

Dr Alex Bond@thelabandfield.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New @adriftlab.bsky.social paper in Conservation Biology: we estimate 629,000+ seabirds died during Australia's 2023/24 marine heatwave. Fewer than 5,000 were counted on beaches, less than 1% of total mortality conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧵 📸: SIlke Stuckenbrock

We love #shearwaters, but…they are not unique. Physiologically, ecologically they’re similar to other seabirds. Thus, the impact of #plastics on shearwaters can tell us a lot about what’s going on in other species. Even when there’s an “absence of evidence” adriftlab.org/publications...

When absence of evidence is not evidence of absence: What an advanced case reveals about plastic impacts on seabirds

adriftlab.org

Dr Alex Bond@thelabandfield.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New paper with @seabirdsentinel.bsky.social in ES&T: We know Sable Shearwaters show measurable harm from plastic ingestion but this isn't just a story about one species. 🧵 1/3 📄 doi.org/10.1021/acs....

Last week the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) added the Sable #Shearwater (formerly, FFSH) to its Appendix II and approves Concerted Action for the species.

We are SO EXCITED to read about the incredible recipients of the 2026 (decadal) Pride in #STEM Award. Especially because one of our beloved team members is amongst the awardees 💜 Congrats to these kind, compassionate, hard-working #ChangeMakers

Pride in STEM@prideinstem.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Pride in STEM is 10 this month, and we are so proud to celebrate these 10 change-makers who were proposed and voted in by the community. Read about their work, their impact, and their commitment to improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ people in STEM and beyond, here: prideinstem.org/2026/04/01/t...

Nearly a century floating in the ocean #PlasticPollution www.bbc.com/news/article...

Game piece from 1940s found on north Cornwall beach litter pick

It is thought it is from a board game called 'The Lion and the Mouse'.

bbc.com

#FairyPrions are washing up on beaches in SE #Tasmania, particularly around Hobart. Please do not touch the #birds. Instead, count how many you see, take photos, and upload your observations to our dedicated #BeachedBird #CitizenScience database 🔗➡️ adriftlab.org/beached-bird...

In November, #AdriftLab gathered for one of our famous #WritingRetreats. This one was a little different, with 2 team members about to relocate after being promoted into exciting research positions in NZ & NY. So, while we wrote & shared ideas, we also prepared for the inevitable separation

Apologies for (another) sad photo. If you live between #Wollongong & #Ulladulla, can you please send us a DM - #birds are washing up on beaches in this area. We need help recording where, how many & which species #CitizenScience #seabirds #shearwaters #AdriftLab #BeachedBirds