How mussels reveal increasing microplastic pollution in Greek waters
Monday, November 3rd 2025, 7:19:50 pm
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<body><p>STORY: These divers are retrieving mussels in Greece’s Ionian and Aegean Seas to gauge the health of the country’s waters.</p><p>:: Psyttaleia, Greece</p><p>Scientists say what surfaced is an uncomfortable truth: an increase of microplastic pollution... in an area already facing pressure from mass tourism.</p><p>ADAMOPOULOU: “Once you collect the sample and you see all the tiny microplastics, it's like, it blows your head.”</p><p>:: This Earth</p><p>For decades, researchers have used mussels as a barometer of marine pollution.</p><p>The filter-feeding organism gives them a glimpse into what’s going on beneath the waves...</p><p>...as it absorbs different contaminants into their tissue, including invisible microplastics.</p><p>This year, researchers at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research deployed thousands of mussels at various depths and sites, from busy Greek port areas to remote islets.</p><p>Biologist Nikoletta Digka explains what was revealed when divers pulled the mussels out in September.</p><p>:: Nikoletta Digka, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research</p><p>“On average, we find one or two microplastics per population that we analyze. For example, if we catch 40 fish, 1.5 of these fish will be found with microplastic in their stomach.”</p><p>The particles found range in shape and are mostly blue or transparent, indicating that they originate from single-use plastics.</p><p>Digka says over time, this plastic will increase as waves, currents and sun exposure break them into smaller pieces, making them harder to detect.</p><p>“This means that there will be more microplastics available for marine organisms to consume. So, this means that we may, in the next years, we will find even more microplastics in the guts of the organisms.”</p><p>Since mussels are edible, the samples help scientists’ assess the potential impact of their consumption on human health.</p><p>Digka says while concentrations are not yet high enough to be harmful, she warns that without immediate action to stop the use and poor disposal of plastic, continued fragmentation could increase risks.</p></body>
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