Question Period Note: Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment

Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment

Microplastics are found everywhere in the environment and their presence in every ocean, lake and river examined underscores this reality.

Understanding the effects of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems is a priority for Fisheries and Oceans Canada; my Department is supporting external research at universities and research organizations that will increase our understanding of the effects of microplastics on aquatic animals in Canadas’s freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Since 2016, my department has committed over $2 million in research to increase our knowledge about the impacts of microplastics on our aquatic ecosystems and to help inform management strategies to tackle this issue. For example, we are investing over $400 thousand to McGill University for research in the detection of micro and nanoplastics in aquatic animals and their related health impacts.

• Microplastics are plastic particles 5mm or smaller in diameter, and can originate from the breakdown of larger plastics (secondary microplastics) or have been manufactured to be microscopic in size (primary microplastics).
• The most common source of microplastics are wastewater treatment plants as microbeads found in personal care products and microfibres shed from textiles and laundry pass through wastewater treatment plants into the environment.
• Microplastics are of environmental concern because their small size renders them accessible to a wide range of organisms from zooplankton to large mammals. Laboratory studies have shown some effects of microplastics and associated contaminants on a range of aquatic species; however, population level and long term impacts are not well understood.
• In 2016, the Government of Canada added plastic microbeads under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act as a toxic substance to enable the Government to propose regulations to manage the environmental risk associated with the use of microbeads. The import or manufacture of toiletries containing microbeads was banned on 1 January 2018 and sales were banned as of 1 July 2018. Bans on microbeads in natural health products and non-prescription drugs came into effect in 2019.
• DFO has supported numerous projects with external research organizations and Canadian universities to better understand the effects of microplastics in Canada’s marine and freshwater ecosystems. The knowledge generated from these projects have informed science-based management decisions on this emerging issue.
• DFO is currently funding three projects; all of these projects will be completed between 2022 and 2024.
• Université du Québec à Rimouski researchers will be studying long term effects of microplastics on scallops, an important fishery resource.
• University of Toronto researchers will be using ecosystem-based experiments to determine the ecological impacts of microplastics on freshwater fish and their food web.
• McGill University will be studying how micro and nanoplastics in aquatic environments are up taken by aquatic animals.
• An Ocean Plastics Charter was adopted at the 2018 G7 Leaders Summit under Canada’s presidency by the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to combat ocean pollution. The charter outlines a lifecycle management approach to plastics in the economy including making all plastics recyclable by 2030, reducing single-use plastics, promoting the use of recycled plastic, building recycling infrastructure, and innovating sustainable technologies. As of May 2020, 25 governments and 65 businesses and organizations have endorsed the Charter.
• In general, monitoring of pollution and regulations related to marine debris falls under the purview of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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