{"id":56910,"date":"2025-10-15T18:47:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=56910"},"modified":"2025-10-16T12:54:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T07:24:40","slug":"microplastics-threaten-estuarine-fisheries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-10-2025\/microplastics-threaten-estuarine-fisheries","title":{"rendered":"Microplastics Pollution Threatens Estuarine Fisheries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus:GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study found widespread microplastic contamination in fish along Goa\u2019s Mandovi estuary.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Microplastics\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are tiny plastic pieces or fibers smaller than 5 millimeters\u2014some are even invisible to the human eye.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They come in various forms, such as beads, fragments, pellets, film, foam, and fibers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Environmental and Health Impacts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-08-2025\/microplastics-detected-in-human-brains\">Microplastic <\/a>pollution is causing serious health problems in India, including reduced fertility, hormonal imbalances, and increased risk of cancers and chronic diseases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Microplastics infiltrate ecosystems<\/strong> through water runoff, sewage, and atmospheric deposition.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small fish ingest microplastics, which then move up the food chain via bioaccumulation and trophic transfer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Health risks for humans consuming contaminated seafood include immune dysfunction, reproductive damage, and increased cancer risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Efforts Made in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has taken several steps to combat plastic pollution:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ban on Single-Use Plastics (July 2022): <\/strong>Prohibited items include plastic cutlery, straws, and packaging films.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):<\/strong> Mandates manufacturers to manage post-consumer plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clean India Mission:<\/strong> Integrates plastic waste management into broader sanitation goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of standardized detection methods for microplastics in food and water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;Limited public awareness about microplastic risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;Insufficient infrastructure for waste segregation and recycling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and the Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Microplastic pollution is a growing environmental and health issue in India, found in water, marine life, and food.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To address it, India should boost research, support biodegradable alternatives, improve waste management, and raise public awareness.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With global action lagging, India has a chance to lead by implementing a coordinated national strategy that combines science, policy, and community efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/152121\/OPS\/GS3F0AO3L.1+GPHF1FLAV.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A recent study found widespread microplastic contamination in fish along Goa\u2019s Mandovi estuary.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Microplastics\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">They are tiny plastic pieces or fibers smaller than 5 millimeters\u2014some are even invisible to the human eye.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">They come in various forms, such as beads, fragments, pellets, film, foam, and fibers.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-10-2025\/microplastics-threaten-estuarine-fisheries\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56910"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56948,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56910\/revisions\/56948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}