Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea

Abstract The ingestion of plastic debris by marine organisms has been documented across a variety of taxa including; marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles and some fish species. Fewer reports have described ingestion by sharks, in this study the gastrointestinal tracts of 20 small spotted catsharks ( Scyliorhinus canicula ) trawl captured in the North Sea were investigated. Macroplastics (>20 mm) were found in 2 individuals and microplastic (