MANGALURU: A plastic bag with material resembling paper wrapped inside and weighing about 10kg was retrieved from a reef cod fish at a shop in Attavar here early this week. An employee cleaning the fish stumbled upon the plastic deposit on Monday. Shocked, the storeowner decided to make a video and shared it on online platforms to spread awareness on the hazards of unchecked dumping of garbage into the sea.

"We are noticing this for the first time. If people continue to dump plastic into the sea at this rate, then fish breeding will be severely affected," said the shop owner who did not want to be identified.

Dr A Senthil Vel, professor and dean (fisheries), College of Fisheries, said fish do not eat plastic.

"Fish are selective in what they eat. But the challenge is that the bottom of the coast is flooded with plastic and fishermen say 40%-50% of what trawlers pick is plastic. In this case, the fish caught by a trawler may have eaten plastic on the sea floor. Fish normally consume microplastic that toxifies their body. Most plastic waste flows into the sea through rivers and drains, and the administration should build a cost-effective grid that prevents the flow of waste from joining the sea," he said.

Nagaraj Raghav Anchan, coordinator, ocean plastic recycling, Hasiru Dala, said, "We can`t ask fish not to eat plastic, but we can stop dumping waste."

Hasiru Dala and Anti-Pollution Drive Foundation, with support from other organisations with similar ecological concern, have lifted 32 tonnes of waste dumped by the public near Netravati bridge in the past three Sundays. Of this, at least 15-20 tonnes are dry waste and, mostly, plastic.

"Up to 50-75 tonnes of waste is still needed to be lifted. Despite conducting the drive, it is unfortunate poultry waste was dumped recently. The administration assured us that CCTV cameras will be installed at the spot," he added.

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