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Artist Chris Jordan, who took these photos, is making a documentary about Laysan albatrosses on Midway Atoll and their plastic problem. Watch the trailer.
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 10

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Laysan albatross chicks are fed and raised by their parents for 180 days, until they are almost fully grown. Some older “chicks” are as large as their parents!
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 8

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The plastic includes big pieces, such as bottle caps and cigarette lighters, as well as plastic confetti, indiscernible to the human eye.
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 6

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Laysan albatrosses will fly hundreds of miles to catch food to feed for their chicks. Or, rather, what looks like food: sometimes they catch floating plastic instead.
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 5

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One study found that 97.5% of chicks had plastic in their stomachs, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 3

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Midway Atoll, where these photos were taken, is more than 2,000 miles from the nearest land.
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Laysan Albatrosses’ Plastic Problem 1

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USFW Biologist Jason Goldberg, on a boat, holding an Asian carp
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Jason Goldberg Fish and Wildlife Biologist

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a photo of Ocean Portal intern Brandon adkins in snorkel gear looking at a preserved giant squid in the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall
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Brandon Adkins, Ocean Portal Intern

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Botanist Dennis Whigham stands in a forested wetland with field gear.
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Dennis Whigham

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George Watters on the deck of a boat holding two fish.
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George Watters, Director of NOAA’s Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division

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Ellen Strong, Research Zoologist - Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
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NMNH Invertebrate Zoology Research Zoologist Ellen Strong

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David Bohaska, Museum Specialist - Vertebrate Paleontology, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
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NMNH Paleobiology Collections Management David Bohaska

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