Global R&D study finds more plastic in wild salmon.
It’s a devastating reality – the fact that tiny bits of plastic are seeping into the soil, fish and air, posing a threat to animal and human health.
In their latest newsletter, the Scoop, Mowi wrote that the issue of plastic is to be taken seriously. A sobering statistic from a FAO entitled ‘Microplastics in fisheries and aquaculture’ estimated that in 2010 alone between 4.8 million to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste entered the oceans.
In the study, fillet (NQC), liver, gills and the content in the gastrointestinal tract from farm-raised (Mowi North Atlantic salmon) and wild-caught salmon (caught on the Norwegian coast) were analysed. A variable but low number of microplastic particles were found in gills and in the gastrointestinal tract, but Mowi wrote that this was too low to conclude that there is a correlation with the levels of contaminants.
The company also found that there were no microplastics in their salmon fillets.
The study also showed that the levels of contaminants in wild salmon is higher compared to farmed salmon, which is to be expected and related to differences in diet.
Testing also found no evidence of microplastics in their fish meal and finished feed samples, however, there were findings of microplastic particles in fish oil samples.
Mowi concluded that it will continue to monitor microplastics in their finished products and raw feed ingredients – as well as attempt to reduce its plastic usage.
