There could be plastic in the fish you eat

PANJIM: From the sea to our plates, plastic could be ingested into our system due to the consumption of fish. To determine this, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has moved a proposal to the State government to conduct studies on the subject. 

NIO has been sampling the sand and the water around Goa’s coast to study the presence of microplastic. Researchers claim that initial studies have revealed the presence of microplastic in the sands and waters of Goa. But there is no study conducted to determine whether fish consume microplastic from the water, although studies in countries like Japan have found this to happen.

NIO and Japan’s Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAU) have joined hands to conduct studies on the passage of microplastic into human bodies through fish.

A team of researchers headed by Professor Hideshinge Takada from TUAT was recently in Goa and sampled the sand and water around Goa and in Mumbai. NIO was represented by senior scientist Dr Mahua Saha.

Both the institutes are aiming to work for longer duration on this project, which is crucial for the State which has sizeable number of fish eaters.

“Each time we eat fish, we may eat plastic. Our studies have confirmed that there is micro plastic in the fish stomach, which can go into the human body that is consuming it,” Takada said.

Takada’s team that conducted the research on fish in Tokyo Bay found micro plastic in the stomach of the fish. Studies revealed that 80 percent of the fish samples collected had micro plastic. Each one had 2-3 pieces (of micro plastic) in them.

Micro plastic particles are believed to come from waste such as plastic bags, pet bottles and containers broken down by waves and ultraviolet rays, and also from micro beads widely used in cosmetics and toothpaste. They absorb hazardous chemicals and could get concentrated in birds and fish that mistakenly eat them. 

Scientists have been sampling the sand from six shorelines including Keri, Calangute, Vagator, Galgibag, Colva and Mobor to find traces of micro plastic. “A larger study is needed to know how big is the problem as far as Goa is concerned,” the scientist said.