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A chemical additive found in plastics polluting ocean waters could be sexually exciting crabs, researchers say.
Researchers at the University of Hull in England who study crabs off the Yorkshire coast have found that oleamide increases “the breathing rate of hermit crabs – indicating excitement and attraction.” The chemical is already considered a pheromone for other marine species.
PhD candidate Paula Schirrmacher said in a press release that plastics containing oleamide could be mistaken for crabs, “as scavengers”, as a potential food source.
More evidence of @UniOfHull research that marine invertebrates are negatively affected by #PlasticPollution https://t.co/RPJmjuFo36
– Hull_Research_Impact (@Hull_Res_Impact) August 10, 2021
“Our study shows that oleamide attracts hermit crabs. The rate of respiration increases dramatically in response to low concentrations of oleamide, and hermit crabs show a behavioral attraction comparable to their response to a dietary stimulant, ”added Schirrmacher.
“This research shows that additive leaching can play an important role in attracting marine life to plastic,” she concluded.
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World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates than 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the oceans every year and without action there could be more plastic than fish in the waters by 2050.
“Every country is part of this plastic crisis. And everyone must be part of the solution: We need a united global response, with governments around the world held accountable for ending marine plastic pollution, ”the WWF website says.
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