Coating Of Bacteria & Algae Makes Marine Microplastics Irresistible To Anchovies
As plastic debris drifts through the ocean, it accumulates a coating of algae and bacteria. That coating smells delectable — that is, if you’re a fish.
Northern anchovies (Engraulis mordax) find the scent of “biofouled” plastic irresistible, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The silvery schooling fish detect the scent that marine algae and bacteria transfer onto bits of plastic, and launch into a flashing, darting feeding frenzy.
Anchovies are an ecologically and economically important species of baitfish in temperate waters worldwide. In the northern Pacific Ocean, they are food for whales, tuna and humans, among many other species. But if anchovies fill up with plastic, their consumers may have to contend with a new kind of junk in their food.
The paper’s lead author, Matthew Savoca, is a fellow at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Monterey, California, researching the effects of pollution and litter on the ocean and its resources. His study is one of the first to demonstrate the importance of scent to fish like anchovies. And it reveals one reason that marine animals might be drawn to plastic in the first place.
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https://news.mongabay.com/2017/11/plastic-in-the-ocean-smells-like-junk-food-to-hungry-anchovies/