Sue's Blog

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Plastic Poison in our Fish????

Plastic Poison in the Ocean

What's the DFO's take on this scientific work by British Scientists?

When I read the following quotes from a story out of Telugu News - I was shocked and concerned. I hope our Fisheries Ministers are keeping an eye on these findings.
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"Thompson estimates there are 300,000 items of plastic per sq km of sea surface and 100,000 per sq km of seabed. So plastic appears to be everywhere in our seas, he said."

London, Dec 8 (IANS) microscopic particles of plastic are not biodegradable and may be poisoning oceans, fear British scientists.

Plastic - from bottles and fishing nets to the ubiquitous carrier bags - ends up in the world's oceans.
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Having completed the groundbreaking study in 2004 in waters between England and Iceland and beaches from both countries - the British Scientists are now looking at whether or not this plastic - some of which is thinner than the diameter of a human hair - is getting into our food chain through harvested fish.
Samples are now being taken in waters off other countries including Canada - and I wonder if DFO is noticing and or participating in this research.
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The story ends with this claim:

Whether plastics present a toxic challenge to marine life and subsequently to human beings is one of the biggest challenges facing marine scientists today.


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