Saving Seafood

Scientists issue warning after observing concerning change in fish behavior: ‘We cannot afford to ignore’

March 9, 2026 — Nanoplastics are disrupting fish’s ability to think and make decisions, with troubling implications for ocean food webs.

What’s happening?

Scientists from Shantou University, the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, and Charles Darwin University wanted to find out how tiny plastic particles affect brain function in marine fish.

According to the study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, they introduced polystyrene nanoplastics into the tanks of marine medaka, a small fish species, then ran the animals through a maze.

Fish that had been in contact with nanoplastics rushed through choices and stumbled at higher rates than their unexposed counterparts. That kind of impulsive behavior could spell disaster in open water.

 

MAINE: Microplastics are harming the Gulf of Maine’s baby lobsters, study finds

July 14, 2020 — A study by scientists at a marine research laboratory indicates that plastic pollution in the Gulf of Maine likely is creating problems for the lobster population.

Researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay examined how microplastics — pieces of plastic broken down into tiny particles — affect lobster larvae in the gulf. They found that lobster larvae, which float in the water column and typically are found in shallow water, get fibers caught under their shells and sometimes ingest particles.

The issue of pollution in the Gulf of Maine, where millions of pounds of lobster fishing gear is deployed each year, has environmental and economic implications for Maine. The commercial statewide lobster harvest in 2019 alone accounted for more than $485 million in fishing revenue in the state, nearly three-quarters of all of Maine’s fisheries landings value that year.

The study, published in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, showed young larvae are more likely to get microplastic fibers trapped under their shells that protect their gills, and were the least likely to survive heavy concentrations of microplastics. Older larvae had less fiber accumulation under their shells but were shown to ingest the plastic, which could pose health consequences as they get older.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News