Tony Walker is one of the researchers from Dalhousie University who found microplastics in the meat of lobsters sampled from around Nova Scotia. Photo by Dalhousie UniversityArticle contentThere’s probably little surprise that researchers from Dalhousie University have found microplastics in the meat of lobster from around Nova Scotia. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn a study published in Regional Studies in Marine Science, the authors say they found microplastics of various kinds in lobsters from four commercial fishing areas off the province’s coast. The substances included clothing fibres, industrial adhesives and marine-grade plastics. Article contentArticle contentArticle contentSamples were taken from 16 lobsters in 2022-23, with all containing an average of six to seven microplastic particles in a single gram of meat. The average size was 3.65 micrometres, 30 times thinner than the width of a human hair. Article content‘One of the things that triggered our study’Article contentTony Walker and Amber LeBlanc of Dalhousie’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies were among those who were part of the study. Walker said in an interview Wednesday that the results were not a surprise. Article content“One of the things that triggered our study and drove us to go this route was other studies around the world, including one relatively local in Maine, that reported microplastics in the guts of lobster,” he said. Article content“That’s not unusual, that’s been reported in hundreds of species of fish around the world as well as crustaceans. What we wanted to find out was if much smaller microplastics . . . could pass through cell wall barriers between the gut and into the tissues.” Article contentArticle contentOther studies had found tiny microplastics in tissues of other species. Article contentArticle contentWalker said microplastics have been found in everything from tea to tofu so the results are not something that is going to negatively affect the industry, “but what this study highlights is that they’re so pervasive and omnipresent that they are in all food we eat.”Article contentThe plastic we use becomes the plastic we eatArticle contentHe said the results highlight that “as a society, we really need urgent action for upstream measures.’ Article contentLobsters are caught in PVC plastic-lined traps, and the bait bags are made from polypropylene, as are the ropes used to haul the traps. Article content“There are alternate solutions, and we also need to do better with our wastewater treatment plants that release things like microfibres from our clothes into the ocean,” Walker said. Article content Angela Riley, founder of Scotian Shores sorts through some of the smaller pieces of debris gathered from the Baccaro shoreline during the June 7 weekend. This year’s shoreline clean-up netted Scotian Shores Ocean Warriors some 400 beaten and battered lobster traps. Photo by Kathy Johnson /Tri-County VanguardArticle contentPolyester fibres were also showing up in mussels and eastern oysters in another study from Dalhousie.
Dalhousie University study finds microplastics in meat from lobsters along Nova Scotia shoreline
