Dr Jennifer Lavers on what long-term data shows about population impacts of ocean plastic pollution

Dr Jennifer Lavers is a marine eco-toxicologist, seabird and island conservation expert, and researcher at Adrift Lab - and returns for her second appearance on the Ocean Protect Podcast. In this chat, we delve into recent ground-breaking research on plastic pollution impacts on seabirds at Lord Howe Island - and discuss the findings from over 15 years of data, and what key actions we can take to beat plastic pollution.

Useful links:

• Dr Jennifer Lavers on Linkedin (here)
• Adriftlab
• Dr Jennifer Lavers on the plastic in seabirds (Ocean Protect Podcast, Season 2, Episode 15, June 2020) (here)
• AdriftLab article (August 2026) The Birds That Never Came Home: Long-Term Data Reveal Population-Level Impacts of Ocean Plastic Pollution (here)
• J.L. Lavers, H. Worthington, & A.L. Bond, Ingested plastics reduce recruitment and survival of an Australian seabird, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (34) e2613782123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2613782123 (2026). https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2613782123
• Lavers, J. L., de Jersey, A. M., Rivers-Auty, J., & Bond, A. L. (2026). Abrupt recent increases in plastic ingestion by Sable Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes). Earth's Future, 14, e2026EF008572. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EF008572
• Ingrid L. Pollet, William M. Connelly, Michelle L. Feenstra, Alix M. de Jersey, Alexander L. Bond, Jennifer L. Lavers, Jack Rivers-Auty, Plastic ingestion alters stomach anatomy and biomechanics in sable shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes), Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics, Volume 5, 2026, 100080, ISSN 3051-0600, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazmp.2026.100080

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