Fish eat plastic like teens eat fast food, researchers say

Young fish become hooked on eating plastic in the seas in the same way that teenagers prefer unhealthy fast food, Swedish researchers have said.

Their study, reported in Science, found exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene makes perch larvae favour the particles over more natural foods.

As a result of exposure to plastic, the young perch are smaller, slower and more susceptible to predators.

The researchers called for plastic micro-beads to be banned in cosmetics.

Chemical degradation

Concerns have been growing about the amount of plastic in the seas in recent years.

A study that came out last year estimated that about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans annually.

I think of it as unhealthy fast food for teenagers, and they are just stuffing themselves

Dr Oona Lonnstedt, Uppsala University

When exposed to UV radiation, chemical degradation -read more