Plastics detected in fish caught in Mazatlan Bay

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CIAD researchers call to prevent plastics from reaching the sea and continuing to pollute the environment, affecting fish.

MAZATLAN. – Do you have a notion of what you eat when you consume fish? Did you know that the Center for Research in Food and Development ( CIAD ) detected the presence of plastics and microplastics in the viscera of fish caught near the bay of Mazatlán. 

The CIAD educator, Eunice Murúa Figueroa, commented that for experimental reasons, the researchers of said unit have carried out the purchase of fish in seafood markets, both from the Isla de la Piedra pier and from Playa Sur, and the investigations found that fish consume plastics that reach the ocean. 

“It can range from obstructing the intestines, the entire digestive system of the fish and killing them or, if they manage to survive, the plastics contain many toxins, these toxins go to the tissues of the fish that we eat, so we are eating plastics, that is the damage,” said Murúa Figueroa.  

He stated that human beings have been consuming toxic elements from the plastics that reach the sea, and clarified that more than alarming and avoiding the consumption of fish or shellfish, what has to be done is to prevent these items from reaching the water, where they are degraded into smaller parts, which are confused with food by these species. 

Tourists and locals leave plastics on beaches

It is understood that, in the beach areas and in other natural water points such as estuaries, they have been impacted by the influx of tourists and locals, where they leave plastic waste, PET bottles and cigarette butts.  

Finally, he added that it is very important to place a bio fence in the Estero del Yugo, in the Cerritos area, where day-to-day visitors leave considerable waste, since through these systems, it is possible to prevent it from reaching the ocean.  

Source: punto.mx

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