Plastic in the food webs: tunas and emerging species

Oikonos initiated the Biological Indicators of Ocean Plastic Pollution (BIOPs) Network to study ocean pollution trends and impacts in marine animals. After documenting plastic ingestion by local predatory fishes in Hawaii, Oikonos is partnering with the Pelagicos Marine Science Lab (Dr. David Hyrenbach), tuna fisherman, and NOAA to study the flow of this pollution through the food web supporting island fisheries. Working with recreational and commercial fishers from Oahu, we are quantifying the prey and plastic ingested by skipjack tuna or aku. By adding a human-consumed tuna species to our suite of bioindicators, we seek to assess pollutants potentially affecting humans.

The collaborative team dissects skipjack tuna stomachs, sorts the dietary contents, and analyzes the ingested plastic and prey. We suspect smaller tunas are more likely to ingest plastic because they eat more crustaceans and forage closer to the surface than larger tunas. Due to skipjack having a tolerance for warming oceans, fast growth rates, and high fecundity, we expect this species to become even more economically valuable as a sustainable consumer choice.

Partners and Funders:

Hawaii Pacific University, Pelagicos Lab, Dr. David Hyrenbach, Oahu fishers, Marisla Foundation, NOAA.