Plastic, as a form of marine litter, is found in varying quantities and sizes around the globe from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. Identifying patterns of microplastic distribution will benefit an understanding of the scale of their potential effect on the environment and organisms. As sea ice extent is reducing in the Arctic, heightened shipping and fishing activity may increase marine pollution in the area. Microplastics may enter the region following ocean transport and local input, although baseline contamination measurements are still required. Here we present the first study of microplastics in Arctic waters, south and southwest of Svalbard, Norway. Microplastics were found in surface (top 16 cm) and sub-surface (6 m depth) samples using two independent techniques. Origins and pathways bringing microplastic to the Arctic remain unclear. Particle composition (95% fibres) suggests they may either result from the breakdown of larger items (transported over large distances by prevailing currents, or derived from local vessel activity), or input in sewage and wastewater from coastal areas. Concurrent observations of high zooplankton abundance suggest a high probability for marine biota to encounter microplastics and a potential for trophic interactions. Further research is required to understand the effects of microplastic-biota interaction within this productive environment.

28This study highlights the potential for sewage sludge treatment processes to affect the risk of

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Microplastics in the marine environment are well documented, and interactions with marine biota have been described worldwide. However, interactions with vertically migrating fish are poorly understood. The diel vertical migration of mesopelagic fish represents one, if not the largest, vertical migration of biomass on the planet, and is thus an important link between the euphotic zone, transporting carbon and other nutrients to global deep sea communities. Knowledge of how mesopelagic fish interact and distribute plastic as a marine contaminant is required as these populations have been identified as a potential global industrial fishery for fishmeal production. Ingestion of microplastic by mesopelagic fish in the Northeast Atlantic was studied. Approximately 11% of the 761 fish examined had microplastics present in their digestive tracts. No clear difference in ingestion frequency was identified between species, location, migration behaviour, or time of capture. While ingesting microplastic may not negatively impact individual mesopelagic fish, the movement of mesopelagic fish from the euphotic zone to deeper waters could mediate transfer of microplastics to otherwise unexposed species and regions of the world's oceans.