Oysters and Microplastics

Ocean Conservation and Marine Life Expert Jaclyn Friedlander talks about the negative impact of micro plastics on the marine environment, and specifically on oysters.
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goo.gl/R3N4hG - Tord Remme
goo.gl/jfGxeg - Charles Haynes
Oyster filter feeding
goo.gl/qL21wC - Mark Skipper
Congress - H.R. 1321
goo.gl/L8nKvq - Ted Eytan
products
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beads
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toothpaste
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beads 2
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oyster on beach
goo.gl/ApJh5F - Abi Skipp
background
goo.gl/ysAaPf - Fabrizio Sciami

[@jerrymangena5817]

very clear Jaclyn Shellfish are about to be a tragedy

[@soilmanted]

I didn't understand the description of how a filter feed feeds. I heard "they take in water, keep the microalgae something something food, and then put the onion and water back. Since microplastics are about the size of a head of a pin, they do not get filtered back out with the rest of the water so ultimately the oysters are eating plastic."
Telling us what size the microplastic particles are does not tell us anything about what happens to them during filtration, unless we also are told what the pore size of the filter is, which we are not. It would seem to me that the algae, and the plastic particles are filtered "out" from the water. But JF said the plastic particles "do not get filtered back OUT (emphasis mine) with the rest of the water." In other words she said the water is filtered out. I would think the water is allowed to flow THROUGH the filter, and that the the algae and plastic is filtered "out."
Also, JF blames products containing plastic beads as the source of plastic particles consumed by oysters. While this may be true, I would think a far far large percentage of the plastic particles in the ocean come from mechanical break down of larger pieces of plastic. Throw a soda bottle or a plastic bag into the ocean, and it gradually gets broken down into smaller and smaller pieces. Eventually you have particles of a size that the oyster will filter out of the water, and get into its gastrointestinal tract. But do we also get smaller particles, so small that pass through the oyster's filtration system, back into the water - only to later get into some Other organism?