Prey-size plastics are invading larval fish nurseries

Gove, J.M., et al., PNAS Plastics & Pollution

Prey-size plastics are invading larval fish nurseries
Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash

We demonstrate that surface slicks, meandering lines of convergence on the ocean surface, are important larval fish nurseries that disproportionately accumulate nonnutritious, toxin-laden prey-size plastics. Plastic pieces were found in numerous larval fish taxa at a time when nutrition is critical for survival. Surface slicks are a ubiquitous coastal ocean feature, suggesting that plastic accumulation in these larval fish nurseries could have far reaching ecological and socioeconomic impacts.

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