Tuna belly is considered an exquisite delicacy to many of us, often served grilled, seared or pan-fried. The most delicious way to enjoy it though is to eat it as raw slices, also known as sashimi, which is common in Japanese cuisine.
However, the days of such culinary goodness may be beginning to see its end. A 2015 study found the first traces of microplastics in bluefin tuna, as well as other commonly eaten fish like albacore and swordfish caught from the Mediterranean Ocean and Atlantic Ocean (Romeo et al., 2015).
The exponential increase in pollution levels that the world’s water bodies have seen in the past few decades have led to the formation of “plastic soups” in our oceans. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is just one of the many garbage patches that have concentrated amounts of plastics and microplastics, caused by gyres (circulating oceanic currents) that pull the plastics into its centre (NOAA, n.d.). There are five such gyres, two of which are in the Atlantic Ocean. If microplastics continue to be released so carelessly into our oceans, there could be a day where tuna belly would become completely inedible, where fish become filled with more microplastics than anything else.
Microplastics from both primary and secondary sources have deadly effects on marine life, extending beyond just the fish and turtles in the sea. Marine birds, algae, marine mammals and even microbial communities. Some of these impacts include (Prokić, Radovanović, Gavrić & Faggio, 2019):
- Disruptions to metabolism levels
- Reduced antioxidative capacities
- Damage to neurological activity and
- Damage to DNA structures,
and that is scratching the surface of the countless biological impacts of microplastics on our wildlife. The Biscayne Bay in South Florida is just one of many water bodies that have fallen victim to massive fishkill from the copious amounts of microplastics and other toxic chemicals in the water (Huddlestun, 2020). The plastics, combined with abnormally high water temperatures, created a low-oxygen environment, eventually leading to the death of large amounts of fish.
The future of our marine life, including the beloved tuna, is resting upon a shaky foundation littered with microplastics. If we want to continue being able to enjoy the delicacy that is a plate of tender, fatty tuna belly, we need to start taking action against microplastics today.
Bibliography:
Garbage Patches | OR&R’s Marine Debris Program. Retrieved 28 September 2020, from https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html
Huddlestun, K. (2020). Beach cleanups are great, and we must find other solutions to marine pollution. Retrieved 28 September 2020, from https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article245058070.html
Prokić, M., Radovanović, T., Gavrić, J., & Faggio, C. (2019). Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics: Examination of biomarkers, current state and future perspectives. Trac Trends In Analytical Chemistry, 111, 37-46. DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.12.001
Romeo, T., Pietro, B., Pedà, C., Consoli, P., Andaloro, F., & Fossi, M. (2015). First evidence of presence of plastic debris in stomach of large pelagic fish in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 95(1), 358-361. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.048
