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title: "UPDATED.  Balloon pollution: a conservation issue for albatrosses and petrels?"
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# UPDATED.  Balloon pollution: a conservation issue for albatrosses and petrels?

A Northern Giant Petrel *Macronectes halli* (named “Gazza” and likely to be a juvenile by its all-brown plumage) under rehabilitation by the NGO [Australian Seabird Rescue](http://seabirdrescue.org/)in Ballina, New South Wales was recently found to have regurgitated parts of a balloon over a period of several days in its cage.  Along with the balloon fragments the bird also regurgitated a piece of hard plastic and fishing line. The bird was collected from a beach “suffering from exhaustion” late last month.  Following an X-ray, "Gazza" has now been pronounced balloon-free.

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/N/Northern_Giant/balloon_4.jpg) ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/N/Northern_Giant/balloon_2.jpg)

 “Gazza” and the regurgitated balloon fragments, photographs courtesy of Australian Seabird Rescue

 Ingestion of latex balloons is a well-known conservation issue for marine turtles, which apparently mistake ruptured balloons at sea for jellyfish, their natural food, leading to blocked guts and death by starvation ([click here](http://seaturtlefoundation.org/marine-debris-projects/)).

 However, ingestion of balloons by procellariiform seabirds is less well known.  Remains of latex balloons were found in 1-2% of the stomachs of Arctic or Northern Fulmars *Fulmarus glacialis* beached in the North Sea in a study published in 2008 by Jan van Franeker, and as reported by him to *ACAP Latest News*. ([click here](http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/imares/News-Calendar/Show/5-Small-facts-about-balloon-litter.htm)).  Dvaid Ainley and colleagues have reported what they thought to be rubber from a meteoreological balloon in an Antarctic Petrel *Thalassoica antarctica*.

 In 2006, Australian Seabird Rescue successfully removed a balloon and its attached ribbon that had been swallowed by a Southern Giant Petrel *M. giganteus* under care ([click here](http://www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com/WhatGoesUp-LanceFerris.htm)).

  ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/S/Southern_Giant/Southern_Giant_Petrel_balloon.jpg)

 The orange balloon and ribbon removed from a Southern Giant Petrel in 2006, photograph courtesy of Australian Seabird Rescue

 Balloons have been reported ingested by or entangled with Black-browed Albatross *Thalassarche melanophris* and Black-footed *Phoebastria nigripes* Albatrosses.  The latter species has also been photographed investigating a floating balloon at sea.  [Click here](http://www.acap.aq/news/news-archive/60-2013-news-archive/1441-not-letting-your-party-balloon-go-it-s-not-just-ingested-plastic-that-is-killing-albatrosses-petrels-and-shearwaters?lang=en-GB) for an earlier story on “balloon pollution” in *ACAP Latest News*.

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/B/Black_footed/Black-footed Albatross entangled  balloon Beachcombers.jpg) 

 Black-footed Albatross entangled with a balloon

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/B/Black_browed/balloon.jpg)

 A balloon ribbon tape attached to a balloon was found inside the gut of a juvenile Black-browed Albatross

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/B/Black_footed/Black-footed Albatross and balloon.jpg)

 Black-footed Albatross encounters a floating balloon

 [Click here](http://balloonsblow.org/) to read more about the conservation issues of releasing lighter-than-air balloons.

 With thanks to Peter Ryan and Jan van Franeker for information.

 **References:**

 Ainley, D.G., Fraser, W.R. & Spear, L.B. 1990. The incidence of plastic in the diets of Antarctic seabirds, in: [Shomura, R.S. & Godfrey, M.L. 1990.  *Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Marine Debris 2-7 April 1989, Honolulu, Hawaii*](http://www.vliz.be/en/imis?module=ref&refid=22971&printversion=1&dropIMIStitle=1), Vol. 1. NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-SWFSC(154). pp. 682-691.

 van Franeker J.A. 2008.  Ballonnen in zee.  [Sula 21(1): 44-46](http://edepot.wur.nl/255142).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 June 2015, updated 11 June 2015*