Shocking footage shows how a fisherman cut open a fish’s stomach - pulling out dozens of pieces of plastic.

The sea fisherman caught the Mahi Mahi, also known as a common dolphinfish, off the coast of Costa Rica on December 2.

He hauled the fish aboard his boat and suspected the fish was sick. He opened up the fish’s large intestine and was shocked to see the level of pollution inside.

The fisherman filmed himself removing plastic jar lids, pieces of shredded plastic cups, bottle tops, a comb, a LIGHTER and other small fragments of plastic.

The footage sparked outrage from animal campaigners on the island, where fishing is one of the main industries.

Environmentalists warned that the footage showed how rising amounts of plastic pollution is killing or contaminating marine life.

Marine scientist Erick Ross explained that fish often confuse the plastic pieces for food before ingesting them.

‘It’s a pretty worrying video,’ he said. ‘This confirms that different marine animals confuse plastic with food. The plastic does not melt and can block their intestinal tract, and then they cannot feed – preventing them from consuming food, and starving [them to death].

‘In other places it is common to see the nests of sea birds filled with plastic. What they do is they confuse plastic with small fish, grab it, swallow it and take it to the nest to feed the chicks. Then, in the essential stage of growth, the chick feeds on plastic.’