Study Finds Plastic Debries and Manmade Fibers in Fish Sold in Markets
Fish eating trash found in our oceans
Scientists have long suspected that plastic trash eaten by fish, crabs , bivalves and other marine species may be spreading through the food web.
Now , researchers from UC Davis an Hasanuddin University in Indonesia are reporting some of the first findings of plastic debris and textile fibres in the fish on consumers's dinner plates.
About a quarter of the fish sampled from markets in California and Indonesia contained the manmade debris, according to the study published in the online journal Scientific Reports.
In Indonesia , they found plastic fragments .
In California , a majority of the contaminants consisted of fibers from textiles.
The variations in debris types probably reflect differences in local waste management strategies, according to the study.
In Indonesia, 30 percent of the solid waste generated by humans is discarded directly onto beaches and into rivers and drainage channels, the study said.
In California, there are more than 200 wastewater treatment plants discharging billions of litres of treated effluent just offshore.
Plastic debris and fibres were found only in fish's guts.
Therefore, humans are likely to ingest manmade debris only if fish is eaten whole.