Concerns rise over microplastics in stomachs of mackerel

By Khanitta Sitong
The Nation

 

Photo Courtesy of The 3rd Marine National Park Operation Centre in Trang

 

The discovery of microplastics in the stomachs of mackerel caught in Trang Sea have raised concerns, but the 3rd Marine National Park Operation Centre urged Thais on Wednesday to refrain from panicking and shunning mackerel.

 

The centre urged people to instead get full awareness of the problem and join in tackling the sea garbage crisis.

 

The centre plans to expand its study to cover Trang's famous edible clams such as "Hoy Tapao" donax scortum clams, "Hoy Chakteen" wing shells, and "Hoy Phisua" butterfly clams.

 

Thai social media had widely shared and discussed the centre’s discovery of an estimated 78 pieces of microplastic on average in the stomachs of mackerel caught from Hat Chao Mai Beach.

 

Research assistant Saowalak Khaosaeng, 30, said the study stemmed from the centre's daily collection of garbage at sea to separate for types and weight to monitor the quantity of sea waste.

 

Realising that the garbage may have an impact on the food chain in the sea off Hat Chao Mai beach, which is the habitat of a large number of affordable commercial fish, the researchers in the past few months took 60 mackerel from fishermen and conducted lab tests on the stomachs of the fish, she said. They found that each mackerel's stomach contained approximately 78 pieces of microplastic invisible to the naked eye -- each 1 millimetre to 5mm -- as the salty seawater broke down the larger plastic garbage into microplastics. The mackerel mistook these tiny pieces for food and ate them, Saowalak explained.

 

The study did not cover the physical impact on the fish or the origin of such microplastics but aimed to raise public awareness about the state of the current ecosystem and encourage people to apply appropriate garbage disposal methods, she added.

 

Meanwhile, fresh fish shops at the Nakhon Trang Municipality Market on Wednesday were still buzzing with shoppers in the morning. Mackerel seller Atchara Lomkhong, 53, said she had heard about the discovery of microplastics in the stomachs of mackerel but she was yet to see any impact on her daily sales of mackerel at Bt120 per kilogram. She said this development was an urgent reminder for all to refrain from discarding plastic waste into rivers and seas.

 

Regular shopper Kornwan Thatchamongkol, 37, said she felt a bit wary after the discovery because she and her family ate a lot of mackerel every week. While saying she would continue to consume mackerel, she urged people not to dispose plastic garbage into the river and sea as they could create pollution.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30376077

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-09-12

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13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Bet that fish length upsets the average Thai male ????

43 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Bet that fish length upsets the average Thai male ????

me too now, not before you mentioned it. thanks for that

Thai fishermen catches this fish size, is that allowed or are there no bigger anymore?

Stop littering.  Stop eating little fish.  Eat a carrot instead.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

78 pieces of microplastic invisible to the naked eye -- each 1 millimetre to 5mm

Someone has poor eyesight if they think 5 m.m. is invisible to the naked eye.....

6 hours ago, webfact said:

she urged people not to dispose plastic garbage into the river and sea as they could create pollution.

Could create pollution,,,,, does create pollution ........No, far easier to just throw the plastic bags of rubbish into the grass verges from your motorbike while on the morning school run.

This article is a bit like do as we say not as we do. The study was not what it might do to a human who eats the fish.

so yea you thais just keep on eating those fish and we will wait and see.. no need to worry.

We will soon find out how a plastic fish tastes like if we haven’t already done so ????

Just keep feeding the sea and the surrounding natural sites with plastic bags, rubbish and plastics in general, when will everyone understand that plastics isn’t edible ?!! 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

She said this development was an urgent reminder for all to refrain from discarding plastic waste into rivers and seas.

If "plastic waste" etc. on the streets of this country, is not an urgent reminder, then what will be?

 

The hub of "we just don't care!"

Edited September 12, 20196 yr by 300sd

6 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Thai fishermen catches this fish size, is that allowed or are there no bigger anymore?

From what Ive seen of Thais and  ANY food  source, theyll strip it bare, take even the tiniest, never  ever  think to leave small to grow  big.

28 minutes ago, Ramdas said:

We will soon find out how a plastic fish tastes like if we haven’t already done so ????

Just keep feeding the sea and the surrounding natural sites with plastic bags, rubbish and plastics in general, when will everyone understand that plastics isn’t edible ?!! 

 

You might want to re  think that idea of  non edible  plastic

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2018/09/21/algotek-algae-plastic-to-change-the-world-by-disappearing/

3 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Stop littering.  Stop eating little fish.  Eat a carrot instead.

...and increase your intake of pesticides and weedkillers.

It’s rapidly approaching that eating fish from any part of the globes waters will bring high risk, to certainty of death by cancers and other malignancies from micro-plastics.

What a good job we’ve done to poison the work in which we live.

but wait!!!! There’s no global warming, no contribution by man to climate change, no mass extinct of species, what fake news all this is !!!!! NOT!!!!!

plastics, the new Co2, "back to the future" stone age

Just now, Tropposurfer said:

It’s rapidly approaching that eating fish from any part of the globes waters will bring high risk, to certainty of death by cancers and other malignancies from micro-plastics.

What a good job we’ve done to poison the work in which we live.

but wait!!!! There’s no global warming, no contribution by man to climate change, no mass extinct of species, what fake news all this is !!!!! NOT!!!!!

The fish in my pond seem  ok.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

They found that each mackerel's stomach contained approximately 78 pieces of microplastic invisible to the naked eye -- each 1 millimetre to 5mm

Invisible????

20 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Invisible????

Yes, if it came from a transparent plastic bag, you know the ones they put inside other transparent plastic bags.

The micro-plastics are in more than the fish.   They are in almost everything in the ocean.   If you think you upgraded because you use sea salt instead of regular chemically produced white salt, think again, as they have discovered the micro-plastics in 93% of the samples.   

I recommend getting Himalayan Pink Salt originally from the mines in Pakistan and millions of years old protected from our currently nasty oceans.    You can find Himalayan Pink salt in most grocery stores in BKK and Chiang Mai.

3 minutes ago, johnnysunshine said:

The micro-plastics are in more than the fish.   They are in almost everything in the ocean.   If you think you upgraded because you use sea salt instead of regular chemically produced white salt, think again, as they have discovered the micro-plastics in 93% of the samples.   

I recommend getting Himalayan Pink Salt originally from the mines in Pakistan and millions of years old protected from our currently nasty oceans.    You can find Himalayan Pink salt in most grocery stores in BKK and Chiang Mai.

Is  it delivered  by a non carbon means dug by a non metal implement, is organic, has  "all natural" ingredients on the bio degradebale non plastic container it doesnt come in but  most of all is it  cheap?

It reminds me of this   drink with "no added  sugar"

 

 

Where is the Social responsibility bill? Are we ever going to see someone grow a pair of balls and get involved in bringing the worst polluters bang to rights?

A fine of several billion baht on the top polluter and you all know who that is - they must pay for what they did to the land of smiles they care only for profit. Money over people. Death over life. It's a disgrace in my opinion this is the worst kind of businessman that they claim to be high society but no they are the lowest society because they ruined thailand and the almighty has already put in action what will come to them just wait and see. The more we talk about it the more the momentum grows keep talking about the pollution and do your part to pick up the rubbish and recycle what u can every small bit helps in the bigger picture

 

1 minute ago, MartiniMan said:

Are we ever going to see someone grow a pair of balls

5 hours ago, Ramdas said:

We will soon find out how a plastic fish tastes like if we haven’t already done so ????

Just keep feeding the sea and the surrounding natural sites with plastic bags, rubbish and plastics in general, when will everyone understand that plastics isn’t edible ?!! 

They already know the taste with all the fake <deleted> coming out of China.