title: Plastic debris straps on threatened blue shark Prionace glauca.
abstract: Juveniles of blue shark Prionace glauca caught in pelagic longlines targeting tuna and swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea were found entangled with plastic straps around their gill region. The plastic debris were identified as strapping bands and caused several degrees of injuries on the dorsal musculature and pectoral fins. They were also obstructing the gill slits probably causing breathing issues. These records were uploaded in the web site seawatchers.org, and highlight the potential of citizen science in revealing the occurrence of such problems which could help to measure the effects of plastic debris on marine life.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: colmenero@icm.csic.es.
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Colmenero
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barría
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Broglio
authors.affiliation: Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Puerto pesquero s/n, 29640 Fuengirola, Spain.
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: García-Barcelona
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D010969:Plastics; D012754:Sharks; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Blue shark; Citizen science; Entanglement; Plastic debris; Threatened sharks