Images Dated 2019 September

Opah, Lampris guttatus. It's a endothermic fish (warm-blooded), with a rete mirabile in its gill ti Date: 25-Sep-19

Plastic bottle thrown to the beach after a long stay in the ocean. We are eating plastic on our seafood. Contaminated fish and shellfish have been found everywhere from Europe, Canada and Brazil to China - and plastic-eating fish are now showing up in supermarkets. While most plastic has been found in the guts of fish, and would therefore be removed before eating, some studies have warned that microplastics, particularly at the nanoscale, could transfer from the guts to the meat (and, of course, we eat some species of small fish and shellfish whole). There is growing concern about toxins leaching - laboratory tests have shown that chemicals associated with microplastics can concentrate in the tissues of marine animals. Some commercially important species have seen the majority of their population affected. It confirmed that contamination has been recorded in tens of thousands of organisms and more than 100 species. Last year, the European Food Safety Authority called for urgent research, citing increasing concern for human health and food safety given the potential for microplastic pollution in edible tissues of commercial fish. This photo is part of a set of several similar images from the same photographer. Azores 2019 Plastic bottle thrown to the beach after a long stay in the ocean. We are eating plastic on our seafood. Contaminated fish and shellfish have been found everywhere from Europe, Canada and Brazil to China - and plastic-eating fish are now showing up in supermarkets. While most plastic has been found in the guts of fish, and would therefore be removed before eating, some studies have warned that microplastics, particularly at the nanoscale, could transfer from the guts to the meat (and, of course, we eat some species of small fish and shellfish whole). There is growing concern about toxins leaching - laboratory tests have shown that chemicals associated with microplastics can concentrate in the tissues of marine animals. Some commercially important species have seen the majority of their population affected. It confirmed that contamination has been recorded in tens of thousands of organisms and more than 100 species. Last year, the European Food Safety Authority called for urgent research, citing increasing concern for human health and food safety given the potential for microplastic pollution in edible tissues of commercial fish. This photo is part of a set of several similar images from the same photographer. Azores 2019

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Two-Headed Calf, embalmed. There are many occurrences of multi-headed animals. Survival to adulthood Date: 25-Sep-19

A tide of microplastics thrown to the beach in the Azores. It is amazing how in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean the sea is already full of these small fragments of plastic trash. Most of the plastic pollution that enters our waterways and ends at the sea came from domestic use - specifically single use disposables, such as straws, cups, lids, take-out containers and plastic cutlery. The real kicker is that plastic does not ever biodegrade in our environment. Instead, it continues to slowly break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, (any piece of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres). Microplastics essentially consist of all forms of plastic - synthetic fibers, fragments of plastic, foam bits and microbeads. This is where wildlife is exposed to the pollution which results in accidental ingestion - commonly mistaken as prey. Making ingestion worse, plastic is comprised of crude oil and carbon-containing compounds referred to as polymers and monomers. The chemical makeup allows it to absorb chemicals found in the natural environment. Then, after it is unknowingly consumed by wildlife, the chemicals leach into the tissue of animals. While plastic itself is classified as non-hazardous, the transfer of chemicals from plastic to animal tissue and then up the food chain can have disastrous effects. With the consumption of seafood, humans are also at risk of ingesting those toxic chemicals as well. Caldeira de Santo Cristo (lagoon), S£o Jorge Island, Azores 2019 A tide of microplastics thrown to the beach in the Azores. It is amazing how in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean the sea is already full of these small fragments of plastic trash. Most of the plastic pollution that enters our waterways and ends at the sea came from domestic use - specifically single use disposables, such as straws, cups, lids, take-out containers and plastic cutlery. The real kicker is that plastic does not ever biodegrade in our environment. Instead, it continues to slowly break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, (any piece of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres). Microplastics essentially consist of all forms of plastic - synthetic fibers, fragments of plastic, foam bits and microbeads. This is where wildlife is exposed to the pollution which results in accidental ingestion - commonly mistaken as prey. Making ingestion worse, plastic is comprised of crude oil and carbon-containing compounds referred to as polymers and monomers. The chemical makeup allows it to absorb chemicals found in the natural environment. Then, after it is unknowingly consumed by wildlife, the chemicals leach into the tissue of animals. While plastic itself is classified as non-hazardous, the transfer of chemicals from plastic to animal tissue and then up the food chain can have disastrous effects. With the consumption of seafood, humans are also at risk of ingesting those toxic chemicals as well. Caldeira de Santo Cristo (lagoon), S£o Jorge Island, Azores 2019

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