Ghost fishing: this discarded net continues to catch fish in a reef off Brazil. Credit: Léo Francini
The study team, led by marine biologist Hudson Pinheiro at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, set out to survey biodiversity on remote reefs, which the researchers expected to be pristine. But during their sampling, they noticed that “these places are not as pristine as we were thinking”, Pinheiro says. It turned out that 77 of the 84 ecosystems contained macroplastics — plastic items measuring 5 centimetres or more across.
The deeper reefs are home to abundant fish species, which might explain why fishing nets and gear dominate the litter in these ecosystems, the authors say. As fewer and fewer fish are found in shallower waters, deep-sea fishing is becoming more common, and the amount of refuse could reflect this. “The fishermen are needing to get further away from shore, to fish in deeper reefs because of the pollution and degradation of the shallow reefs,” says Pinheiro.Credit: Luiz A.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: Collider - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »