The northern fulmar as a sentinel species for monitoring the environmental health impacts of plastic exposure

The northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is well suited to contribute to a “One Health” approach for understanding plastic-associated toxicity. Plastics contain additives that act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which leach into the environment, often disrupting hormonal signaling in wildlife. As an ecotoxicological model, the fulmar, a seabird, provides a unique opportunity to investigate these effects under real-world exposure conditions. Fulmars are currently utilized in The EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive as passive bioindicators of marine litter in the Northeast Atlantic, based upon the proportion of individuals with significant plastic burdens in their stomachs. The aim of this review is to advocate for elevating the fulmar’s role from a passive indicator to active sentinel species to better understand long-term environmental health impacts of chronic plastic exposure. The fulmar’s unique ecological niche, high trophic level, and wide-ranging foraging behavior make it particularly vulnerable to plastic ingestion, providing a relevant model for exposure assessment. The role of epigenetic mechanisms was examined in mediating gene–environment interactions, particularly how plastic exposure may influence gene expression and contribute to adverse health outcomes. Further, advances in genome sequencing and annotation enabled identification of molecular pathways affected by plastic-derived EDCs, contributing to the development of complex adverse outcomes that might be characterized through systems biology. Finally, practical benefits and methodological challenges of integrating molecular and genomic analyses into fulmar-based monitoring, focusing upon bycaught individuals and long-term study cohorts, was determined. This framework supports the fulmar’s potential as a sentinel species for monitoring plastic-related health risks in marine ecosystems.