Study: 20% of fish at 3 Mexican ports had plastic in stomach
Posted Oct 10, 2019 1:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MEXICO CITY — A study of 755 fish caught off three ports in Mexico found an average of 20% of them had micro-plastics in their stomachs.
The report by researchers from several universities and conservation groups studied grey snapper, red grouper, white mullet and king mackerel.
The fish were caught off the Gulf coast port of Veracruz, Puerto Morelos on the Caribbean, and La Paz on the Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California.
Plastic was found in over one-third of the Veracruz fish, but only 8% of those in La Paz and 23% in Puerto Morelos.
The Center for Biological Diversity said Veracruz’s bigger population may be sending more waste into the ocean around the port.
Tests found much of the plastic came from cellophane tape and cling wraps.
The Associated Press
