TY - JOUR
T1 - Ingestion of microplastics by commercial fish off the Portuguese coast
AU - Neves, Diogo
AU - Sobral, Paula
AU - Ferreira, Joana Lia Antunes
AU - Pereira, Tânia
N1 - Work was partially funded by DOCAPESCA-Portos e Lotas S.A., through a protocol with the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (May to September 2013).
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The digestive tract contents of 263 individuals from 26 species of commercial fish were examined for microplastics. These were found in 17 species, corresponding to 19.8% of the fish of which 32.7% had ingested more than one microplastic. Of all the fish that ingested microplastics, 63.5% was benthic and 36.5% pelagic species. A total of 73 microplastics were recorded, 48 (65.8%) being fibres and 25 (34.2%) being fragments. Polymers were polypropylene, polyethylene, alkyd resin, rayon, polyester, nylon and acrylic. The mean of ingested microplastics was 0.27 ± 0.63 per fish, (n = 263). Pelagic fish ingested more particles and benthic fish ingested more fibres, but no significant differences were found. Fish with the highest number of microplastics were from the mouth of the Tagus river.Scomber japonicus registered the highest mean of ingested microplastics, suggesting its potential as indicator species to monitor and investigate trends in ingested litter, in the MSFD marine regions.
AB - The digestive tract contents of 263 individuals from 26 species of commercial fish were examined for microplastics. These were found in 17 species, corresponding to 19.8% of the fish of which 32.7% had ingested more than one microplastic. Of all the fish that ingested microplastics, 63.5% was benthic and 36.5% pelagic species. A total of 73 microplastics were recorded, 48 (65.8%) being fibres and 25 (34.2%) being fragments. Polymers were polypropylene, polyethylene, alkyd resin, rayon, polyester, nylon and acrylic. The mean of ingested microplastics was 0.27 ± 0.63 per fish, (n = 263). Pelagic fish ingested more particles and benthic fish ingested more fibres, but no significant differences were found. Fish with the highest number of microplastics were from the mouth of the Tagus river.Scomber japonicus registered the highest mean of ingested microplastics, suggesting its potential as indicator species to monitor and investigate trends in ingested litter, in the MSFD marine regions.
KW - Commercial fish
KW - Ingestion
KW - Microplastics
KW - Portugal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947595047&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.008
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 26608506
AN - SCOPUS:84947595047
VL - 101
SP - 119
EP - 126
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
SN - 0025-326X
IS - 1
ER -
