The problem may be worse than previously thought
A study lead by a team from NUI Galway has found strong evidence of harmful micro-plastics in deep water Atlantic fish.
The study from NUIG's school of natural sciences found 73% of the fish they analysed had micro-plastic fragments in their stomachs.
It was previously thought that the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans was limited to marine life living closer to the surface.
However, all of the specimens studied - which displayed the effects of micro-plastics - were from depths of 300 to 600 metres.
Micro-plastic is the result of breakdown of larger plastic items. As well as micro-beads from shampoos and other personal care products
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the study’s co-author, Tom Doyle of the Ryan Institute, said it shows that even seemingly remote fish thousands of kilometres from land and 600m down in the ocean are not isolated from human pollution.
“It’s worrying to think that our daily activities, such as washing our synthetic clothes in our washing machines, results in billions of microplastics entering our oceans through our waste water stream that many eventually end up in these deep sea fishes,” he said.
An online abstract article of the study's findings has already been viewed more than 45,000 times.
