Eating Plastic: From Fish to Platter
Of the many wonderful moments that we all had growing up, most of us have a restaurant memory that stands far above the rest. Maybe it was the artery-clogging burger that you ate from a drive-thru shack or the spoonful of ratatouille that made your heart pound with sheer excitement. For me, there was nothing I loved more than devouring a hand-battered fish taco at Pedro’s Tacos in San Clemente. Luckily, I have the pleasure of repeating my favorite childhood memory every Thursday when I revisit Pedro’s Tacos after my morning swim. A haven for hungry surfers like myself, the restaurant’s beachy-vibe and famous warm corn tortillas filled to the brim with fried cod fillets have the power to bring joy to my day and take me into moments that I aspire for.
However, this week was different. On a Thursday evening, I decided to drive my filthy Toyota Tacoma down to the car wash while my sister ordered both of us a fish burrito for $3.48. Like most millennials, I took a glamorous photo of my life-changing food hoping that the voyeuristic nature of my Instagram photo would allow others to feel the warmth and comfort that I was experiencing. Yet, as I took my first bite into a delicious piece of fish, I started to think about what this aquatic animal ate itself — before it was fried.
As I sat in my car devouring my burrito, I couldn’t help but grab my phone and investigate the feeding behaviors of a variety of my favorite fish. Overwhelmingly, recent research indicates that most marine animals live off of crustaceans, larvae, insects and other smaller fish depending on their size; however, a newly published study claimed that 386 of those species are known to ingest plastic debris, including 210 commercially important types of fish. In fact, marine scientists from the National University of Ireland found plastic bits (e.g., microplastics) in 73% of the 233 deep-sea fish collected from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Disturbingly enough, this includes the anchovies that we pickle our pizza with and other popular species like cod, mackerel, mussels, shrimp, and large types of fish (like the infamous big-eye tuna).
So, what does this mean? In the broadest view, this means that ocean plastic pollution is increasing at an alarming rate, and the amount of trash that our society dumps into the ocean without any consequence is coming back to haunt us via the seafood that ends up on our dinner plate. Granted, while my food was delicious, I wanted to further understand the relationship between plastic-derived contaminants that fish consume and its possible effects on human health.
Nonetheless, studies conducted by Chelsea Rochman, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Davis who specializes in microplastic pollution research, asserts that plastic can serve as a pollution “sponge” in the ocean soaking up and transferring harmful chemicals (e.g., PCBs, fossil fuel compounds and carcinogens) to the fish who ingest them. While the mere presence of microplastics accumulating up the food chain is unsettling, toxic chemicals leaching into fish can impact humans directly by physically damaging organs, compromising immune function and impacting whole ecosystems.
On the bright side, however, there are numerous solutions to this problem. Yet, due to COVID-19 and the rapid rise of single-use plastic contributing to the eight million metric tons of waste that goes into our oceans every year, the solution is perhaps a little more complicated.
To fully resolve this issue, we must first be mindful of what we wear and consume daily. One way to contribute to a healthier planet is to avoid single-use plastics and recycling upon disposal. Additionally, switching to clean and eco-friendly products (e.g., drinking from reusable water bottles, buying non-toxic sunblocks, reusable straws, etc.) will also provide environmental, social, and economic benefits while protecting the health of the environment. Lastly, if you want to contribute to your own health, it would be best to limit or eliminate seafood from your diet unless you do not care for consuming plastic with your meals (although I am not an expert).
By all means, while it is impossible to avoid plastic entirely, we can still make substantial headway on this global environmental issue by striving to live a more sustainable life during the pandemic that will ultimately create a more resilient future as a whole. With public health being of utmost priority, it will require many actors working together to find a solution to reduce our plastic consumption and contribute to a healthier ecosystem for both humans and marine life.
