Fomites are defined as inanimate surfaces that can retain and transmit infectious organisms from one host to another and are widely studied in human public health and in animal farming. The survival of many human and livestock pathogens on inanimate objects has been demonstrated, including but not limited to influenza survival on banknotes (Thomas, Vogel, Wunderli, Suter, Witschi, Koch, Tapparel & Kaiser 2008), HIV on glass coverslips (Van Bueren, Simpson, Jacobs & Cookson 1994), different strains of staphylococci on public computer keyboards (Kassem, Sigler & Esseili 2007), swine pseudorabies on cement (Schoenbaum, Freund & Beran 1991), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus on clothing such as boots and coveralls (Otake, Dee, Rossow, Deen, Joo, Molitor & Pijoan 2002) and avian reoviruses on cotton, wood, glass, rubber, polythene bag and metals (Savage & Jones 2003). However, to date, little attention has been given to the possible role of fomites in the aquatic environment, which is surprising given the increasing amounts of manmade waste in the ocean (Derraik 2002) and the impact of infectious agents on aquaculture and trade (FAO 2006). One class of waste is plastic. Plastic debris is a significant and increasing form of pollution in aquatic environments, especially in oceans (Derraik 2002). Debris items with diameters >1 cm are termed macrolitter and include plastic bottles, plastic bags and styrofoam containers (Thiel & Gutow 2005). However, the majority of the plastic debris in the oceans exists as small particles (<1 cm) and is termed microlitter (Thiel & Gutow 2005). Microlitter can arise from the abrasion of larger plastic debris (Eriksson & Burton 2003) but mostly from the tiny plastic pellets that are the raw material for manufacturing (Prutter 1987). Debris can be composed of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polystyrene (Prutter 1987). Recently, we developed a novel and sensitive method for detecting the presence of infectious viruses adsorbed onto polystyrene (Pham, Jung & Bols 2011). The method was derived with plastic tissue culture vessels, such as 96-well plates and culture dishes. These were incubated with a solution of virus for 24 h, rinsed and then allowed to either dry or to remain wet for variable periods of time before cells susceptible to the virus were added. The cells attached and spread on the surface and over time developed cytopathic effect (CPE), indicating that the surface had adsorbed or attached virus that remained infectious. Infection appeared to involve direct surface to cell transfer of the virus. With this protocol, viruses were shown to adhere and remain infectious on polystyrene in either a wet or dry state for up to 15 days (Pham et al. 2011). Another source of waste comes from commercial and recreational fishing. Approximately 135 400 tons of fishing gears are lost or abandoned at sea per year along with an estimated amount of 600 000 plastic containers discarded by merchant vessels a Journal of Fish Diseases 2012, 35, 73–77 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2761.2011.01323.x