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Updated: Dec 24, 2025
Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status
Published on: May 18, 2019
Occurrence of plastics ingested by Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) destined for human consumption (Fogo Island,
Jacquelyn Saturno1, Max Liboiron2, Justine Ammendolia2
1Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5R3, Canada; Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
Abstract:
In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, fishing is a core occupation and also a source of marine plastic pollution. To look at this relationship, we examined 216 gastrointestinal tracts of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) caught by commercial fishers at Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We found three tracts contained plastic for a frequency of occurrence of 1.4%. While this result is consistent with other cod sampled in the province, this study found two gastrointestinal tracts contained intact bait bags, used in commercial pots, and the third tract contained a polypropylene thread, likely originating from fishing rope. Our findings demonstrate the frequency of plastic ingestion in this region is low, but fishing-gear related plastics represent a key source of marine plastics in the region that should be addressed.
