Ocean plastic pollution is an environmental problem of increasing magnitude, yet the total amount of plastic in the marine realm is much lower than expected. On land, some fungi can break down plastics, but the ability of marine fungi to degrade plastic has not been investigated. Using a novel approach, I isolated a marine fungus and showed that it utilizes plastic for growth and energy gain, and I hypothesize that this ability is more widespread among marine fungi. I aim at confirming our hypothesis by investigating fungi in mangroves, which are hot spot marine ecosystems for marine fungi.