micro plastics that are microscopic plastic particles in the Baltic Sea is dangerous for fish is known from before, but now according to new Swedish research done on young fish that they would rather eat micro plastic than plankton that is their usual food.
– The biggest surprise for us was that the fish really gobbled up these plastics. We found that the perch was affected very much, says Oona Maple Ballenstedt which is a marine biologist at Uppsala University.
Oona Maple Ballenstedt has led research where they looked at how young fish in the Baltic Sea is affected by microscopic particles of plastic from the garbage washed into the oceans. Most of it comes from the wear and tear of tires, but the micro-plastics in everything from marine coatings to the shampoo.
To fry rather eat micro plastics than his usual planktonmat leads to more fish die. The hazardous substance in micro plastics makes them grow worse and stops reacting to scents from predators. This means that they stop being afraid and get eaten. This may have consequences for the entire food chain and can lead to fish kills in the oceans.
That was why we started doing this study because we knew abborre- and pike had gone down in some areas along the Baltic Sea. And the sites usually have quite high concentrations of plastic. It seems that there is no link there.
But more research is needed to know more about it, she says.
The researchers have been able to see this behavior of several species of fish also found in oceans. So this is a very big problem for the world, says Oona Maple Ballenstedt. Partly it’s a dangerous substance which we humans can get to us, and means less fish, less food for the people who might need it for survival.
Now, she has started to look at why fish fry like eating micro-plastics.
– They secrete a kind of visual or chemical signal that triggers a kind födorespons in fish. So they think that the plastic is a very unusual and high-energy resource.
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