Plastic pollution: Scientists' plea on threat to ocean giants [View all]

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42920383

Plastic pollution: Scientists' plea on threat to ocean giants

By Helen Briggs
BBC News

3 hours ago

Scientists are calling for research on the impacts of microplastics on whales, sharks and rays that strain tiny food, like plankton, out of seawater. They say the ocean giants face "significant risks" from microplastics. Estimates suggest some whales may be ingesting hundreds of fragments of plastic a day.

The Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Coral Triangle are priorities for monitoring, according to a review of studies.

Researchers from the US, Australia and Italy looked at data on threats to large filter feeders from microplastics. These small plastic pieces less than five millimetres long can be harmful to the ocean and aquatic life. Contamination from microplastics has the potential to further reduce the population sizes of the large filter feeders, they say. Yet, there is very little research being carried out into the risks.
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Possible risks include reduced nutritional uptake and damage to the digestive system when microplastics are ingested, she said. In addition, toxin exposure through plastic ingestion could affect many biological processes, such as growth and reproduction, putting filter feeding populations "under even more strain", she added.

The study, published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, argues that large filter feeders, many of which are "charismatic and economically important species", should be prioritised for further research into risks from microplastics.
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