Seagulls mistake styrofoam for food in the Marmara Sea
Coastal wildlife stand near synthetic waste items in the water and rocky areas near Princes’ Island.
A marine conservation team patrolling the Princes’ Islands in northwestern Türkiye filmed the seagulls eating styrofoam, exposing the fatal impact of single-use plastics on marine biodiversity.
The Marine Life Conservation Society recorded the incident during a patrol at the Tavşan Island Strict Nature Reserve. One seagull pecked at a styrofoam piece while another carried the debris toward the Princes’ Islands before dropping it. The patrol team then retrieved the material from the water.
The society monitors deep-sea coral populations, specifically gorgonians, clears the abandoned ghost nets and cleans single-use surface waste at this reserve. The society also conducts species tracking in the southern province of Antalya and tracks marine biodiversity under the Blue Atlas Project.
