Microplastics Are Killing Your Fish
In the United States, the fishing sector generated 10.05 billion dollars in revenue,
according to stastisa.com. All the money generated by the fishing sector is in jeopardy because
of microplastics that are being found inside the fish. Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are
5mm and less in size, these plastics are virtually invisible. From being found in the air that we
breathe to the water that we drink there are no escaping microplastics. Large pieces of plastic that
end up in the ocean being to decompose and become microplastics. Once microplastics enter the
ocean they make their way into the local fish and later onto your dinner plate. A study conducted
in China’s Dongshan Bay found that 80%-100% of the cultivated marine life in that area had
microplastics inside them (Pan et al., 2022). Another study conducted by researchers in Spain
found that most the fish caught at 8 different locations had so many microplastics in them that
they were not safe for human consumption (Janssens & Garcia-Vazquez, 2021). While you
might think that microplastics in fish cannot have an effect on you. You would be mistaken.
When you eat the fish that has microplastics inside of it you too consume those microplastics.
Microplastics can act as a carrier for toxins and disease, some microplastics are so small that
they can pass through the cell membrane (VETHAAK & LEGLER, 2021). Not only can toxins
pass through the cell membrane, but microplastics can create antibiotic-resistant bacteria
(Fournier et al., 2021). While you may think that there is nothing that you can do to reverse the
effects that microplastics are having on our seafood and at our dinner table, there is a solution. If
legislation is passed that limits the amount of plastics that are produced by companies and even
offer a reward for using less plastic we could start getting on the right track.

Below I have attached an automated message that will be sent to legislatures across America.

By Ronald Murphy

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