Projeto de pesquisa

Since their commercial development in the mid of the 20th century, a crescent amount of plastic and litter has been produced and discarded into the ocean. Marine debris pollution became one of the main threats to the marine environment, causing widespread ecological perturbations. Nowadays, the most common trash and plastic debris found in the ocean come from plastic disposable items and fishing gear, but in general marine litter is very diverse and comprises items of various shapes, sizes and materials .
The welfare of humankind is closely related to the ocean health; thus, litter is becoming a serious problem, since it is endangering all the realms of the marine environment. Marine organisms interact with litter in various ways, often with fatal consequences: litter can be confused with food and can block the digestion tract of marine turtles, fish and sea-birds, or can contain chemicals or other toxins, accumulating in the food web. In addition, fishing nets and other ghost lines can cause injury, starvation or strangulation to several species.
Since most of the trash which is discharged into the ocean is produced on land, the idea of this study is to investigate if the types and the quantity of trash vary with the distance from human centers. Therefore, this project aims to investigate if the gradient of human stressors is accompanied by an accumulation of trash, and its relation to the health of fish communities. The main hypothesis is that the garbage can be used as a proxy for fish communities’ health status. Moreover, this project will explore if the types of trash founded indicate any direct impact on fish communities, as fishing gears for instance. Lastly, once plastic pollution has been associated with decreased coral health, a final goal of this study will look for correlations between coral diseases and quantity and/or type of litter.