Scientists have confirmed they have identified a new species of fish in the Atlantic which is composed of over 50% polyethylene material. The fish is a subspecies of the Atlantic herring.
The discovery was made around 12 months ago after fishermen raised concerns over the look of some of their catch and when they cooked the fish they described it as a bit ‘melty’ and tasted ‘awful’.
Previously thought to be impossible
Dr Joey Kousino at the Oceanic Research Center said “It’s both amazing and horrifying. It simply should not exist and yet here we are. It seems that nature has taken the new environment these fish are living in and adjusted. We found that the new species is able to digest the plastic and in doing so has incorporated it into their own biology”
We asked what this means for the future? “We can only speculate at the moment. This is one example, it stands to reason there will be more discovered. We know that it’s definitely not edible for humans. Unfortunately it’s eaten by a multitude of predators in the sea so does that mean we will now start seeing 50% plastic tuna and whales? The one thing I can say with 100% certainty is that I will not be eating any fish ever again”
