This expedition will seek to fill that gap by working in collaboration with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The aim is to collect, and analyze submicron-sized plastic particles below 0.3 mm, to examine uptake and concentration levels of these microplastics in seafood sources (e.g., different types of fish, mussels, shrimps, etc.), and to initiate mitigation measures and monitoring projects with local stakeholders. The samples will be collected using a novel manta trawl system modified for submicron-particle collection, in-and off-shore of the Florida Keys, and further processed and analyzed in the lab. In addition, we will get seafood samples such as mussels from the local fish markets and fishermen and determine their contamination levels.