More than 90% of some animal species in European waters have waste in their stomachs.

Omissions

• The >90% figure refers to a single sentinel species (northern fulmar, North Sea) and to samples from 2003–2007; it is not a current, EU-wide figure covering 'some animal species' in general.
• The most recent data available before the session (Verpe et al., northern fulmars collected 2018–2024) show 81% of birds with plastics in the stomach and 20% exceeding the OSPAR EcoQO, i.e. below the 90% threshold for 'any plastic ingestion'.
• OSPAR's 2023 Quality Status Report states that currently 51% of beached North Sea fulmars have more than 0.1 g of plastics in the stomach, far above the 10% Fulmar Threshold Value but well below 90% — the choice of the 'any plastic present' metric rather than the threshold metric flatters the figure.
• The Verpe et al. paper covering 2018–2024 samples appears in Marine Pollution Bulletin in 2026; if its publication date falls after 2026-10-19, the MEP could not have cited it directly, though its underlying data period predates the session.

Sources

• PrimaryOSPAR Quality Status Report 2023 — Plastic particles in fulmar stomachs in the North Sea"Currently 51% of beached North Sea fulmars have more than 0,1g of plastics in their stomachs, exceeding the Fulmar Threshold Value (Fulmar-TV) of 10%."
• AcademicVerpe et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin — Plastic loads of northern fulmars"Overall, 81% of the investigated northern fulmars (N = 507) collected in 2018–2024 contained plastics in their stomachs, and 20% exceeded the OSPAR EcoQO"
• Academicvan Franeker et al. — Monitoring plastic ingestion by the northern fulmar (VLIZ repository)"During 2003e2007, 95% of 1295 fulmars sampled in the North Sea had plastic in the stomach (on average 35 pieces weighing 0.31 g)"