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| IS THE SEA AROUND THE FAROE ISLANDS AS CLEAN AS WE BELIEVE IT IS? | |||||||||
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SAVE THE NORTH SEA |
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| "FAROESE WHEELS" FOUND IN FULMAR CHICKS | |||||||||
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During the catch of Fulmar chicks at the end of August 2022, the hunters noticed that an unusually large number of Fulmar chicks in the area of Viðoy had bio-filters in their stomachs. This one in the picture had 27 biofilters in its stomach. This means that there is not much room left for any of its usual food. |
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| "FAROESE WHEELS" | |||||||||
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02.06.2019 small plastic wheels (biofilters) washed up everywhere in the Faroe Islands. They came from salmon farms. The fact that these plastic wheels contaminate the Faroese nature is nothing new, because as early as 2003, Jan Andries van Franeker found them in the stomachs of Faroese Fulmars. Jan Andries van Franeker has taken the pictures. |
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According to the latest studies, 1 plastic wheel is found in 1 of 100 Fulmars. |
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| Again in May 2018 Jan Andies van Franeker came to the Faroe Islands to pick up stomachs from Fulmars, that Faroese bird hunters has collected for him. | |||||||||
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| Jens-Kjeld Jensen & Jan Andries van Franeker 26.05.2018 | |||||||||
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| Jan Andries van Franeker, Poul Johannes Simonsen & Jens-Kjeld Jensen 26.05.2018 | |||||||||
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In 2003 Faroe Islands joined the EEC project "Save the North Sea", which is a study of pollution in the oceans. In that connection Jan Andries van Franeker from IMARES in the Netherlands came to the Faroe Islands to examine, how much litter was contained in the fulmar stomachs. Depending on how much plastic is found in the stomachs, Van Franeker is able to estimate how much pollution is in the sea. |
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| We have always boasted about having the cleanest ocean in the world, but now we have to face the fact. The Faroese Fulmars are full of plastic, and even if the they are not as polluted as their brothers in EEC, it is no excuse for us doing nothing. | |||||||||
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| Some very interesting reports: | |||||||||
Fulmar Litter EcoQO monitoring along Dutch and North Sea coasts in relation to EU Directive 2000/59/EC on Port Reception Facilities: results to 2009  |
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| Live coverage of a dissection of a Faroese fulmar chick stomach |
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BIRD WATCHING IN THE FAROES |
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| 14.05.2009 Jan Andries Van Franeker and Jens-Kjeld went to Leirvík, Eysturoy, to look for fulmars. Here are some photographs from their tour. | |||||||||
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| In Streymnes we found 1 Puffin and 1 Common guillemot. Both had starved to death, so this is not the best prospects for the coming summer... | |||||||||
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| PLASTIC IN FULMARS | |||||||||
| Jan Andries van Franeker has visited Faroe Islands yet another time in 2011 in connection with plastic in Fulmars. It will be interesting to see, if the plastic amount has decreased or increased. This time Franeker was assisted by Elisa Bravo Rebolledo. We will update the result as soon as we know more. | |||||||||
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| We all admired Poul Johannes Simonsen catching Fulmars on the steep and narrow paths in Viðareiði | |||||||||
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| Elisa Bravo Rebolledo is searching the Fulmar stomacks for plastic by using a smaller net then Franeker to double check, if anything passes through his slightly larger masks. | |||||||||
| ROTTERDAM AND POLUTION | |||||||||
Rotterdam is known for the very strict regulative's regarding pollution of the sea and harbor area. This of course involves the harbor authorities, who play a major role regarding protection of the Dutch environment. Further more the harbor authorities have made a film to show, how prevention works. The famous dr. Jan Andries van Franeker, known for his research of plastic in seabirds, plays the role as himself in the film. Franeker is known in the Faroe Islands, since his project also involves the Faroese Fulmars. We could learn a lot from The Netherlands! |
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| Any Waste Any Time - part 1 |
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| Any Waste Any Time - part 2 |
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NOLSOY ISLANDERS RESCUING A GANNET |
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| Sadly it is getting more and more common to see birds trapped in all kind of waste. Very few of the birds are as lucky as this Gannet, who was rescued by as many as 3 men from Nólsoy. | |||||||||
And we are even boasting about living in the cleanest sea of all... |
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| Poul Johannes Simonsen & Van Franeker searching for litter in Fulmars | Stomach contents in a young Fulmar | Stomach contents in a young Laysan Albatross | Laysan Albatross feeding the young | ||||||
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