[thedoc (OP)]

Simon Emmott asked the Naked Scientists:
   Can plankton be genetically modified to consume and clean up the sea of tiny plastic particles in the ocean?

What do you think?

[alancalverd]

Fabulous idea, right up to the moment when you sail your rust- and rot-proof plastic yacht into a cloud of hungry plankton!   

[chris]

So what you could do is have protective coatings for hulls made from plastic...

[alancalverd]

Hmm. The protective stuff we put on wooden boats is already upsetting the green lobby. Anything that would kill an epoxy-eating bug will certainly ruin a turtle's digestion.

And what will the effect be on a whale who swallows a ton of plastiphages for breakfast?