Study Reveals Widespread Presence of Microplastics in Common Seafood

Much like a salmon returning to its spawning grounds, ocean plastic is making its way back to its source.

In the Pacific Northwest, a region famous for its seafood, researchers have discovered particles from human waste and pollution in the edible tissue of nearly every fish and shellfish they sampled.

Out of the 182 fish collected from the Oregon coast or sold in local markets, only two — a lingcod and a herring — were free of any suspicious particles in their edible tissue samples.

The rest, including rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, all contained “anthropogenic particles,” such as dyed cotton fibers, cellulose from paper and cardboard, and tiny fragments of plastic.

“It’s troubling that microfibers seem to move from the gut into other tissues like muscle,” says ecotoxicologist Susanne Brander from Oregon State University. “This could have broad implications for other organisms, potentially even humans.”

Increased Seafood Consumption Linked to Higher Microplastic Levels in Humans

Recent studies have shown that people who consume more seafood, especially bivalves like oysters and mussels, tend to have higher levels of microplastics in their bodies. However, the duration these plastics remain in the body and their effects on human health remain unclear, highlighting the need for urgent research.

Brander and her team are not suggesting people stop eating seafood, but emphasize the importance of understanding the potential exposure levels.

Human-generated particles like paint, soot, and microplastics have become so widespread that they are now found in the air, water, and many foods beyond seafood.

“If we dispose of and use products that release microplastics, those particles eventually enter the environment and are absorbed by the things we consume,” says ecologist Elise Granek from Portland State University.

“What we release into the environment eventually ends up on our plates.”

The Oregon study is the first of its kind in the area, revealing that microplastics are commonly found in edible seafood samples.

Though the study focuses on the key species for the local seafood industry, its findings align with research from other regions that have started detecting microplastics in various seafood samples.

Filter-Feeding Shrimp in Oregon Coastal Waters Accumulate High Levels of Plastic Waste

In Oregon’s coastal waters, filter-feeding shrimp showed some of the highest concentrations of plastic waste in their bodies. Researchers believe this is due to shrimp inhabiting the upper water column, where floating plastic and zooplankton gather.

“We found that smaller organisms we sampled seem to be ingesting more anthropogenic, non-nutritious particles,” explains Granek.

“Shrimp and small fish, like herring, consume tiny food items like zooplankton. Other studies have found high concentrations of plastics in areas where zooplankton accumulate, and these anthropogenic particles may resemble zooplankton, leading animals that feed on them to ingest plastic.”

When comparing freshly caught shrimp with store-bought samples, researchers found that the store-bought shrimp contained more plastic fibers, fragments, and films, likely due to plastic packaging.

Chinook salmon had the lowest levels of anthropogenic particles in their edible tissue, followed by black rockfish and lingcod.

Some of the researchers involved in the study are exploring ways to prevent plastic waste from entering the sea. However, in their paper, the team concludes that the most effective solution is to “turn off the tap” on plastic production.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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