Plastic debris, including microplastics, have the potential to impact fisheries globally. Plastic affects aquatic environments and organisms, including many key fish and fisheries species, as well as the ecosystems where they live but we still lack a clear understanding of impacts on organisms, fisheries and the seafood industry. This session will be a multifaceted discussion on the opportunities and threats that plastic pollution poses to the aquaculture and fishing industries including potential solutions. We welcome contributions on identification and contamination of plastic in seafood species, biological effects of plastic consumption, and potential management solutions for fisheries to lower plastic impacts. This session will provide a global and broad-spectrum occasion to gain insights on research trends on the current state of marine plastics in fisheries and its impacts on seafood. Sharing information on how affects of plastics on the seafood industry and seafood species fished will guide the urgency of future research and boost management and mitigation strategies that support the seafood sector.
Organizers:
Nina Wootton, The University of Adelaide, [email protected]
Bronwyn Gillanders, The University of Adelaide
Thava Palanisami, University of Newcastle