Amid increasing concern about the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems, a new study led by Portland State University found that North America is lagging behind other continents when it comes to understanding the potential risks that microplastics and associated pollutants pose to both fisheries and the humans that consume the seafood.
Amid increasing concern about the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems, a new study led by Portland State University found that North America is lagging behind other continents when it comes to understanding the potential risks that microplastics and associated pollutants pose to both fisheries and the humans that consume the seafood.
Researchers from Portland State University (PSU), Oregon State University (OSU), and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (UNC-W) reviewed microplastics studies on commercially-important fishery species published before March 1, 2019, finding that most of the existing literature comes from Europe, Asia, and South America.
"Because seafood — both aquacultured and wild-caught — are so important to the human diet and culture, it's really important to investigate microplastics specifically on our continent and not relying on data from another part of the world because environmental conditions can be very different," said Britta Baechler, a Ph.D. student in PSU's Earth, Environment and Society program.
Read more at Portland State University
Image by Matthew Gollop from Pixabay
