PLASTICS IN THE SEA OCCURRENCE AND IMPACTS (PB 2025)

Plastics in the Sea: Occurrence and Impacts is a comprehensive reference written by renowned leaders in the field. It synthesizes existing knowledge of how mega-, macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics impact marine environments and marine life, ranging from zooplankton, fishes, and invertebrates to birds, mammals, turtles, manatees, and other megafauna. The chapters provide basic and integrated discussions of the presence, sources, and fates; methodologies for detection, chemistry, and degradation; impacts on organisms and food webs; implications for fisheries and aquaculture; policy and public engagement; and economic and legal implications of plastic pollution. Plastics in the Sea: Occurrence and Impacts is an indispensable resource for marine resource managers, ecotoxicologists, fisheries stakeholders, policymakers, and academic researchers interested in the occurrence, impacts, and mitigation of marine plastic pollution.

• Provides readers with foundational information to guide research efforts and management decisions
• Discusses how debris such as plastic bags, bottles, caps, fishing line, and more can have severe impacts on marine fauna
• Presents the latest research on how microplastics interact with filter-feeding organisms and potentially accumulate within marine food chains
• Presents detailed descriptions and critical assessments of methodologies for determination, identification, and reliable experimental design
• Provides information on potential preservation methods and recovery rates to determine validity of extraction methods
• Discusses and dispels myths and misconceptions regarding impacts of plastics on ecosystems and marine fauna
• Describes chemical composition, breakdown of products, and implications for synergistic impacts of plastics and other pollutants
• Considers economic policies and legal aspects of plastic pollution
• Makes recommendations for international harmonization of technologies, development of biodegradable plastics and substitute products, and expanded education and recycling efforts

Sandra E. Shumway (Ph.D., D.Sc., Wales) is a world leader in molluscan biology. Editor of the Journal of Shellfish Research for over three decades and Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture for 15 years, she has edited or co-edited previous volumes including Shellfish Safety and Quality; Scallops: Biology, Ecology, Aquaculture, and Fisheries; Shellfish Aquaculture and the Environment; and Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture: A Practical Guide. A former Marshall Scholar, she is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Aquaculture Society, the University of Wales, and is an Aldo Leopold Fellow and Honored Life Member of the National Shellfisheries Association, and Fellow of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. With almost 50 years of experience in research, outreach, and education focused on shellfish physiology, aquaculture, ecology, seafood safety, harmful algal blooms, biofouling, and microplastics, she has published more than 200 research papers, book chapters, and outreach publications. She is currently Research Professor Emerita at the University of Connecticut.

J. Evan Ward (Ph.D. University of Delaware) has studied environmental physiology of marine invertebrates for over 30 years, and is a recognized world authority on feeding processes of bivalve molluscs. His research has focused on capture, ingestion, and elimination of microplastics and nanomaterials by shellfish, and the impacts of these particles on feeding and digestive processes. He was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Award and two Fulbright Foreign Scholarships, and was a visiting scholar at the University of Panama and University of Exeter (UK). He served as the lead Principal Investigator and Director of the NOAA Oceans and Human Health training consortium in Connecticut focused on interdisciplinary research and training in coastal-ecosystems & human Health. Ward is a Past-President of the National Shellfisheries Association, and has authored over 100 research papers, book chapters, and reviews. He is a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and is currently professor and Head of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut.