February 6, 2026 — Microplastics have been discovered in one third of fish species across the coastal waters of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), with the highest concentrations of plastic contamination found in fish around Fiji, a new study has revealed.
Published in PLOS One by researchers led by Jasha Dehm at the University of the South Pacific, these findings arrive just as international negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty are set to resume this year. It’s hoped these talks will renew scrutiny on how plastic pollution is affecting even the most remote marine ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution is a global problem, but Pacific Island nations face distinct vulnerabilities. Rapid urbanisation, expanding coastal development, and limited waste and wastewater management systems have increased the flow of plastic debris into nearshore environments. These same environments underpin food security, livelihoods, and cultural practices across the region, where many communities depend heavily on locally caught fish as their primary source of protein.
Despite these risks, empirical data on microplastic contamination in Pacific fish has been limited.
To address this gap, the research team assessed 878 coastal fish from 138 species caught by fishing communities in Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, using published records from the Global Information Biodiversity Facility. Across all four countries, around a third of fish contained at least one microplastic particle, but contamination levels varied sharply between islands.