Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p16
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 16/152)
Character Range: 83440–86406

In the study, 70 per cent of the birds had plastic fragments in their gut, which can be passed on to their young by the regurgitation of food (see Carey 2011).
Some seabirds are also killed after becoming entangled in marine debris (Nel and Nel 1999). Such entanglement can constrict growth and circulation, leading to asphyxiation. Entanglement may also increase the bird's drag coefficient through the water, causing the animal to die due to reduced ability to catch prey or avoid predators. The rate of this source of mortality remains completely unknown for Australian species.
Injury and Fatality Caused by the Ingestion and Entanglement of Marine Life in  Marine Debris has been listed a Key Threatening Process under the EPBC Act. It was considered that 20 listed threatened species are adversely affected by marine debris.
The problems of plastic ingestion and entanglement may affect many Australian breeding petrels and has been reviewed in Baker et al. (2002) and Rodriguez et al. (2019). While it is likely that many seabirds ingest plastic debris without it being observed or documented, and birds may become entangled in marine debris from time to time, there is currently no evidence to suggest that ingestion or entanglement are posing a significant threat to any Australian seabird species at the population level.
Light pollution
In response to concerns about light pollution, the Australian Government developed National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds (Commonwealth of Australia 2020) aimed to raise awareness of the potential impacts of artificial light on wildlife and provide a framework for assessing and managing these impacts around susceptible listed wildlife.
Artificial light associated with the urbanisation of coastal areas has been linked to increased seabird mortality (Gineste et al. 2016) and today, 56 petrel species worldwide are known to be impacted by artificial lighting (Rodriguez et al. 2017a,b,c).
All species of seabird are vulnerable to impacts from lighting. Problematic sources of artificial light include coastal residential and hotel developments, street lighting, vehicle lights, sporting facility floodlights, vessel searchlights, cruise ships, fishing vessels, research vessels, gas flares, security lighting, navigation aids and lighthouses (Montevecchi 2006, Rodriguez et al. 2012, 2017a, Raine et al. 2007, Ainley et al. 2001, Troy et al. 2011, Merkel & Johannsen 2011, Black 2005, Deppe et al. 2017).

Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds 31

 Threats

High rates of "fallout", or the collision of birds with structures, has been reported in seabirds nesting adjacent to urban or developed areas (Montevecchi 2006, Rodriguez et al. 2017a, Podolsky et al. 1998). Light sourced impacts have also been reported from offshore oil platforms, including gas flares (Bourne 1979, Wiese et al. 2001, Burke et al. 2005).

 Adult seabirds are