Researchers sampled over 70 seafood species in Pacific waters and discovered the presence of plastic and textile contaminants.

An investigation into the quality of fish in California and Indonesia has shown that prominent species in the seafood chain are contaminated with plastic and textile fibers.

Researchers analyzed the contents of two fish markets and found human-derived debris caused by differing waste management systems that could potentially harm consumers.

The Study

The study was able to discern the kinds of contaminants prominent in fish caught in different coasts along the Pacific Ocean.
Image: Vegan-Magazine

Researchers led by Chelsea Rochman at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sampled a variety of fish species in Half Moon Bay and Princeton, California and in Makassar, Indonesia.

The California sample included 76 fish from 12 species along with one species of shellfish. In Indonesia, the researchers sampled 76 fish from 11 species. The fish were caught by regular fisherman in local waters.

Researchers dissected the fish species and analyzed the contents of their guts. The process of chemically dissolving tissue allowed them to uncover plastic and fiber debris inside the fish.

In the Indonesian sample, 55 percent of fish possessed human-derived debris, including Indian mackerel, shortfin scad and silver-stripe round herring. Of the fish sampled, 28 percent contained debris.

One fish had a total of 21 pieces of plastic in its guts, as plastic debris were most prominent in Indonesia’s fish.

In the sample taken in California, 67 percent of species had debris, including the pacific oyster, pacific anchovy, striped bass and Chinook salmon. About 25 percent of the fish sampled were affected.

Researchers noted a difference between the kinds of debris in each location, with American fish posessing mostly textiles pollutants compared to the plastic pollutants dominating Indonesian waters.

“I was very surprised to see such a difference in type of debris between locations,” Rochman said.

Causes Of Contamination

Textile fibers from washing machine wastewater was found in fish sold in the United States.
Image: Chemical & Engineering News

Each country has a different system used to dispose of waste. Researchers believe that these systems illustrate why fish species in certain areas contain different contaminants.

In Indonesia, the waste management system allows plastics to be thrown into the ocean. The United States has implemented a plastic recycling initiative, which accounts for the lack of plastic debris.

Fish near the California coast contain high levels of textile fibers, which could be attributed to the prevalence of washing machines. The discharge from washing machines is sent to wastewater treatment plants, where it could easily seep into the ocean.

“Fibres are a ubiquitous contaminant in the effluent from wastewater treatment plants due to their small size and abundance in the waste stream. They have been found in several marine habitats and animals,” Rochman said.

Consumption of textile and plastic fibers can cause a number of health concerns, but the extent remains unclear until more research is conducted. Rochman urges policymakers and citizens to protect the oceans in order to keep the problem from worsening.

The post Textile And Plastic Pollution Found Inside Pacific Seafood appeared first on Citizens Report.

Tuna, mackerel and other marine species have experienced a catastrophic population decrease, causing a threat to human food security.

In the last 40 years, certain fish populations have decreased by almost 75 percent. Many of these species are essential to the human food chain.

New research shows that tuna and mackerel are subject to a “catastrophic” decline. The study cites problems such as overfishing, acidification from environmental pollution and other threats to marine life that must be addressed.

A Decline In Aquatic Animal Species

Since 1970, more than 49 percent of 1,234 ocean species have experienced a significant decline.
Image: 2luxury2

The study, called Living Blue Planet Report, was conducted by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. It concluded that an important family of fish species, commonly used to supply food, has been impacted by various man-made environmental hazards.

The scombridae family of fish includes mackerels, tunas and bonitos. These species have declined by 74 percent between 1970 and 2012. In addition, the research shows that 49 percent of 1,234 ocean species have declined throughout that 49 year span.

The fish populations in decline are critical to human food security, according to WWF. The charity urges action to put a stop to the actions that are depleting global resources.

“This is catastrophic. We are destroying vital food sources, and the ecology of our oceans,” Louise Heaps, chief advisor on marine policy at WWF UK, said.

Threatened fish species include the nearly extinct Pacific bluefin tuna, along with yellowtail tuna and albacore, which are popular menu items. However, the skipjack tuna has “a surprising degree of resilience,” according to Heaps, one of the study authors.

In addition, sea cucumbers, which are an Asian luxury dish, have fallen by 98 percent in the Galapagos Islands and 94 percent in in the Egyptian Red Sea. Endangered leatherback turtles in the UK are also becoming scarce.

The study authors identify specific threats to marine life and ocean habitats, which in turn threaten our access to seafood.

Identifying Threats To Sea Creatures

Overfishing and environmental pollution are the main causes of dwindling marine species.
Image: Stop Overfishing

Overfishing is a global issue, but it’s specifically problematic in the Pacific Ocean. Chinese, Japanese and Korean fisherman possess the world’s largest fleet in both size and capacity. The fishing activities of these countries outweigh even European ocean endeavors.

Since 1970, pollution has been affecting marine health and habitats. A substance called plastic detritus builds up in the digestive system of fish, which damages wildlife and enters the food chain. Coastal mangrove swamps are depleted, and carbon dioxide has contaminated the ocean. This makes it more acidic, which depletes metabolic rates and depresses immune systems of marine life.

“I am terrified about acidification,” Heaps told the Guardian. “That situation is looking very bleak. We were taught in the 1980s that the solution to pollution is dilution, but that suggests the oceans have an infinite capacity to absorb our pollution. That is not true, and we have reached the capacity now.”

If regulators don’t step in, acidification could destroy the world’s coral reefs by 2050. The process of acidification is dangerous to tiny marine animals that use calcium to make their shells and other organs.

“It’s not all doom-and-gloom. There are choices we can make. But it is urgent,” Heaps said.

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An unlikely culprit has mutated fish into becoming transgendered.

Scientists have discovered that transgendered fish in freshwater systems worldwide have been mutated by an unlikely culprit.

Studies show that these fish have been physically mutated by Metformin, an oral medication prescribed to regulate blood sugar in patients with type II diabetes.

Rebecca Klaper, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, studied the chemical contaminants in Lake Michigan, where she found the amount of metformin to be particularly prevalent.

According to her research, the fish exposed to metformin developed intersex structures, with the hormones for female egg reproduction occurring in males. Also, the exposed fish had a body size that was reportedly smaller than normal.

Intersex fish are commonly found downstream near wastewater treatment plants, where hormone-altering chemicals are prevalent. The mutated fish were exposed to a contaminant amount similar to what is found in wastewater effluent, or the “liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea.”

In this instance, the amount of metformin was more prominent than other chemicals found in the freshwater sample. Researchers found this unusual because metformin is primarily prescribed for diabetes care, not hormone-related conditions.

However, metformin has another use. It can be prescribed to women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a disease that causes enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the edges.

Science Blogs

This means the drug could be an endocrine disruptor, which causes physical changes that can also affect the human body. Endocrine disruptors confuse the body’s complex hormone messaging system. They can cause cancer, behavioral issues, immune suppression, reproductive abnormalities, birth defects and other symptoms.

Klaper will focus on studying genome changes caused by the drug in order to better understand the intersex mutations in the fish. Scientists are continuing to investigate the negative effects that metformin could have on wildlife and the environment.

“We’re now working on a paper that investigates the metabolic pathways at various points in the fishes’ life to see what is changing with exposure,” Klaper said in an article from Science Daily.

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