Microplastics and macroplastics originating from fisheries and aquaculture
Lusher, A.L.; De Witte, B.; Devriese, L.I.; Welden, N.A. (2025). Microplastics and macroplastics originating from fisheries and aquaculture, in: Shumway, S.E. et al.Plastics in the sea: occurrence and impacts. pp. 429-485. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822324-6.00009-8
In: Shumway, S.E.; Ward, J.E. (Ed.) (2025). Plastics in the sea: occurrence and impacts. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-822324-6. xii, 582 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/C2019-0-04440-8
Fisheries and aquaculture activities depend on plastic materials. Over time these materials can break down, become lost from operations, and end up in the environment. The release of plastic items from fisheries and aquaculture are likely to mirror the increase with the growth of both industries. Macroplastics and microplastics can be released for many different reasons including accidental or deliberate loss, as well as wear and tear and fragmentation of active equipment and paint coatings. Plastics from both industries have been recorded around the world including shorelines, the sea surface, sea floor, and interacting with biota. Many approaches have attempted to enumerate gear loss and differentiate between source regions or activities. Results are hindered by the lack of power held within the available data. Effects of plastics can be divided between impacts on the environment, marine and freshwater organisms, and consequences for the fisheries products themselves. The latter has attracted considerable attention given the economic value of commercial products and potential for transfer of plastics to consumers. In response to the concerns surrounding consequences of debris from fisheries and aquaculture, several approaches have emerged to manage plastic waste and improve recovery and circularity, and efforts continue to better inform on the impact on the environment and consequences for food products.
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