RiteeshGrandhi/sciclaimeval-shared-task huggingface dataset:
Conclusions
In this study, a decrease in the frequency of plastic occurrence in neotropical cormorant pellets was observed, from 7.13% in the pre-pandemic phase to 2.47% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This highlights the potential impact of beach access restrictions on reducing marine plastic pollution. However, the presence of plastics was not completely eradicated even with reduced human activity, suggesting the need for further research to fully understand the various factors that contribute to this type of pollution, such as WWTPs. Additionally, a post-pandemic examination of neotropical cormorant pellets could have provided a more complete understanding of anthropogenic plastic pollution. Unfortunately, post-pandemic access to the pellet collection area was restricted due to inaccessibility or safety concerns, which limited their collection. Despite this limitation, our findings indicate that neotropical cormorant pellets can be an effective non-invasive tool for monitoring plastic pollution in marine environments.
Supplemental Information
The data were used to determine changes in diet composition in cormorants, before and during the pandemic. The values distributed by year and month. The pellet column refers to the total number of pellets found in each month. In the Number of Otoliths section you can see the different fish preys classified by their scientific name, each number corresponds to the amount of otoliths found.

R package to run the test
Figure 1: Map of the study area depicting part of the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV) in the district of Miraflores.
The inset illustrates the specific section of the CPCV where the neotropic cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianus) pellets were collected.

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DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17407/fig-1
Figure 2: Overall monthly percentage of occurrence of plastic in the pellets of N. brasilianus during the pre-pandemic (blue) and pandemic (orange) phases of COVID-19 on the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV), Lima, Perú.
The numbers along the lines indicate the number of pellets collected each month. N = total number of pellets collected prior and during the pandemic. The top legend describes the restrictions imposed by government authorities during the pandemic.

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DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17407/fig-2
Figure 3: Overall monthly litter load (average number of elements per pellets that measure the number of plastic and other anthropogenic items) of plastic items and non-plastic items in the pellets of N. brasilianus during the pre-pandemic (blue) and pandemic (orange) phases of COVID-19 on the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV), Lima, Perú.
The top legend describes the restrictions imposed by government authorities during the pandemic.

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DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17407/fig-3
List of restriction measures on the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV) highway and beaches during the Covid-19 pandemic phase in Peru.
Composition of plastic and non-plastic debris found in 1,447 analyzed pellets of the neotropic cormorant,N. brasilianus, on the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV), Lima, Perú, during both the pre-pandemic and pandemic phases.