Overview

• Spanish state prosecutors are investigating the presence of numerous small plastic pellets along the northwest coastline, spilled from a transport ship.
• The pellets, which may have toxic properties, have also been found on shores in Portugal and France.
• The container ship Toconao, sailing under a Liberian flag, lost six shipping containers off the coast of Portugal, one of which contained 1,000 sacks of pellets.
• Greenpeace and other environmental groups estimate the total amount of pellets lost to be in the millions, posing a danger for marine and human life as they can break down into even smaller microplastics that can be consumed by fish.
• Volunteers and workers have organized to clean up the beaches and coasts of the area, which depends on a large fish and shellfish industry.