TRANG: Researchers have found microplastic in the stomach of mackerel caught in this southern province and will expand their study to include fish meat and shellfish.

Saowalak Khaosaeng, research assistant at the Marine National Park Operation Centre, said they began the research after daily morning study of sea debris revealed it was having an affect on the food chain in the sea off Hat Chao Mai beach, the habitat of many fish.

Researchers at the centre then collected mackerel from fishermen near the Hat Chao Mai National Park, and examined the fish stomachs. They found an average 78 pieces of microplastic in the stomach of each mackerel.

Ocean currents and saltiness broke plastic waste down into microplastic which the mackerel ate, mistaking it for food, Ms Saowalak said.

The centre planned to expand its research to include mackerel meat and other popular commercial marine life, including shellfish, and its affect on their health, she said.