title: Are we eating plastic-ingesting fish?
abstract: Yes, we are eating plastic-ingesting fish. A baseline assessment of plastic pellet ingestion by two species of important edible fish caught along the eastern coast of Brazil is described. The rate of plastic ingestion by king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) was quite high (62.5%), followed by the Brazilian sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon lalandii, 33%). From 2 to 6 plastic resin pellets were encountered in the stomachs of each fish, with sizes of from 1 to 5 mm, and with colors ranging from clear to white and yellowish. Ecological and health-related implications are discussed and the potential for transferring these materials through the food-chain are addressed
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Compostos Orgânicos em Ecossistemas Costeiros e Marinhos (OrganoMAR), Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50740-550 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Electronic address: danielemirandaba@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniele de A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, 70040-020 Brasília, DF, Brazil; Associação Brasileira do Lixo Marinho (ABLM), Brazil. Electronic address: gustavofcsouza@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Gustavo Freire
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: de Carvalho-Souza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004463:Ecology; D020387:Food Chain; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents; D010473:Perciformes; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D012754:Sharks; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Artisanal fisheries; Marine debris; Pellets; Predator fishes