One-third of fish caught in English Channel have plastic contamination
One-third of fish caught in English Channel have plastic contamination
By Rebecca Smithers, The Guardian
Saturday, January 26, 2013 11:01 EST
Fish were found to contain small pieces of plastic known as ‘microbeads’, in a study of 10 species
One-third of fish caught off the south-west coast of England have traces of plastic contamination from sources including sanitary products and carrier bags, scientists have found.
The Plymouth University study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, looked at the occurrence of plastic in 10 species of fish caught in the English Channel.
Of 504 fish examined, more than one-third were found to contain small pieces of plastic less than 1mm in size, referred to by scientists as “microbeads”.
Prof Richard Thompson of Plymouth University said in a statement: “We have previously shown that on shorelines worldwide and on the seabed and in the water column around the UK, these tiny fragments of plastic are widespread. But this new reseach has shown that such fragments are also being ingested by fish. Laboratory studies on mussels have shown that some organisms can retain plastic after ingestion, hence microplastic debris could also accumulate in natural populations.”
More:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/26/one-third-of-fish-caught-in-english-channel-have-plastic-contamination/
