Increasing plastic in New Zealand seas is having a detrimental effect on our birds.

New research from Forest and Bird has found our seas are the worst in the world for seabirds eating plastic.

The group believes birds' plastic ingestion will reach 99 percent by 2050.

Forest and Bird spokesperson Karen Baird told Mike Hosking with more plastic getting into the water - seabirds are feeding it to their chicks.

She says ingesting it can impact the chicks fitness to survive and cause death.

"If enough of the chicks are receiving enough plastic that causes their mortality, the population will start to decline."

 

LISTEN TO KAREN BAIRD TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE