Some fish prefer to eat tiny bits of plastic, with dire consequences, pollution study reveals

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time the devastating physiological and behavioural effects on fish exposed to the tiny bits of plastic pollution clogging the world’s oceans.

Lab experiments with European perch larvae showed exposure to microplastic particles at levels present in seas inhibited hatching of fertilised eggs, stunted larval growth, reduced activity levels, and made them more susceptible to predators, increasing mortality rates, researchers said on Thursday.

“For me, the key finding and biggest surprise in this study was the fact that larvae preferentially ate microplastic particles and literally stuffed themselves with the microbeads,” ignoring their natural food source of zooplankton, said marine biologist Oona Lönnstedt of Uppsala University in Sweden.

There is increasing concern among scientists about the effect of pervasive plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. This study was the first to look at direct effects of microplastic particles on fish development, Lönnstedt said.

Microplastic particles, bits of plastic measuring no more than 5mm, come from large plastic trash that has fragmented into smaller pieces or from manufactured plastics of microscopic size such as microbeads in products like facial soap, body wash and toothpaste.

The European perch, known for its greenish colour with black stripes and orange-to-red fins, is an important commercial fish species for coastal and lake fisheries and is also popular for recreational fishing, said Peter Eklöv, an Uppsala professor of limnology, the study of inland waters.