Microplastics on the menu of Manta Rays and Whale Sharks

Plastics pollute Indonesian feeding grounds of plankton-feeding ocean giants…

Plastic pollution has a tremendous impact on marine life – and reef manta rays and whale sharks are not spared from it. These large filter-feeders swallow hundreds to thousands of cubic meters of plankton-filled water every day, and with it, tiny plastic pieces from broken down carrier bags and single-use packaging, a new study has found.

Marine biologists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Murdoch University (Australia) and Udayana University (Indonesia), estimated the amount of plastic particles present in the waters off Nusa Penida (Bali), Komodo National Park and East Java in Indonesia and, based on that, calculated how many pieces reef manta rays and whale sharks might be ingesting. These shark species sieve nutrient-rich water through their gills as they swim.

As manta rays and whale sharks spend a lot of time feeding in inshore surface waters where trash commonly aggregates, the researchers used a plankton net to trawl for plastics in the top 50 cm of the water column. They also counted any debris visible at the surface from the boat.

Read more here.