Plastic is the predominant type of manmade debris found in rivers and oceans today. Between 60 and 80% of all marine debris is comprised of petroleum based plastics.
Despite the fact that plastic pollution is a relatively recent phenomena, the problem has reached the far corners of the global oceans. Most of the obvious plastic pollution is inshore, such as those seen on beaches and intertidal area, but most of the plastic is out of sight in remote locations.
We all know that plastic pollution has impacted marine life through entanglement or ingestion, but what impact does it have on fish?
Most fish start out as planktonic larvae that need to feed on other planktonic organisms to survive and grow, but in some parts of the world there is more plastic than plankton. Mistaking the plastic for zooplankton, fish will feed on the plastic which provides no nutritional value for the fish, potentially reducing growth rates.