Past Events
Mussels & Microplastics | Ocean Matters April Lecture
Event Date: 24th April 2018
About the Event
This lecture looked at the question: Are British Columbia Blue Mussels Accumulating Microplastics?
Designed to be durable and long-lasting, every plastic product ever produced will outlive each animal and person alive today. Because plastic debris isn't biodegradable, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces when it ends up on land or in the ocean. This results in microplastic pollution, which could affect all animals that live in our oceans.
Ocean Wise Researcher, Julie Dimitrijevic is studying microplastics in blue mussels within the Strait of Georgia. She wants to better understand how these small plastic pieces are interacting with this important coastal species.
She is carrying out experiments by caging mussels, which allow her to control what they eat. By doing this, she will work out how much microplastic accumulates in the bodies of blue mussels and how this microplastic could affect their health. Determining potential impacts is an important first step in the global effort to understand this emerging threat to our ecosystems.
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Video of the Lecture
Event Poster
