Struggling to find enough plankton to eat, sardine populations in the Mediterranean have been filling their stomachs with something far less appetizing: plastic.

What's happening?

Oceanographic Magazine shared findings from a study that examined the feeding behavior of wild sardines in the Mediterranean. 

Published in the journal Environmental Pollution, the research had two primary findings: Sardines have changed how they feed, and this alternative method means they are ingesting far more plastic.

Sardines normally feed by snatching particles of plankton directly out of the water. But with a reduction in the numbers of sufficiently large plankton, they've had less to munch on, so many of them have switched over to filter feeding. Filter feeding involves swallowing water and filtering the plankton and nutrients from the water.

Unfortunately, this also means that the fish are catching other particles suspended in the water, and many of those particles are plastic. 

Researchers found that, on average, sardines that used filter feeding ingested 4.95 times more plastic fibers per day than those that fed normally. Not only that, but the filter feeders were also observed with poorer health and body conditions.

Why is this concerning?

Oceanographic quoted University of Barcelona researcher Oriol Rodriguez, who explained that the root cause of these issues, including the depletion of available plankton, was the planet's rapidly rising temperatures. 

"Climate change has caused important transformations in marine ecosystems, including the reduction of the size of the plankton in the Mediterranean," Rodriguez said. "Sardines, which prefer to feed on larger organisms because they are more nutritious, are increasingly forced to rely on filter feeding because of the reduced availability of larger plankton."

Researchers said that they had not yet identified specific health impacts as a direct result of the plastic ingestion. Nevertheless, they emphasized, these climate-driven environmental changes "could play a more significant role than previously thought in shaping how pelagic fish interact with plastic contaminants."

And the contamination doesn't end with sardines, of course. Other animals that consume sardines, or ones that also filter feed, end up on human plates. That means the plastic particles that were lurking in the ocean end up swimming in our bloodstreams — and even reaching our brains. 

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Research published in the journal Environment & Health has found potential links between the ingestion of microplastics and DNA damage, organ dysfunction, immune system repression, reproductive and developmental issues, chronic disease, and more.

What's being done to reduce plastic pollution?

Plastic pollution has reached a state of crisis, according to expert bodies like the United Nations Environment Programme, NASA, the IUCN, and more. The ways to tackle it are twofold: reducing the presence of existing plastic and reducing the production of new plastics.

To address the former, numerous teams of researchers and scientists are looking for ways to absorb, store, repurpose, or reform plastic for new purposes. 

From using microplastics to form a multi-purpose steel-like material, to using fungi to effectively "eat" plastic, to creating a water filter made of sawdust and tannin that removes up to 99.9% of microplastics, great strides have already been made in dealing with existing plastic.

Even more important, though, is eliminating the creation of new, especially single-use, plastics. And when it comes to reducing net new plastic production, many brands are stepping up and paving the way with plastic-free packaging and products, like packaging made of seaweed and compostable furniture. 

As a consumer, you can use the power of your wallet to ensure that your own plastic footprint is as small as possible — from reusing items to only buying from circular brands.

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