Low prevalence of microplastic contamination in planktivorous fish species from the southeast Pacific Ocean

The gut contents of 292 planktivorous fish, from four families (Atherinopsidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Scombridae) and seven species, captured along the coast of the southeast Pacific, were examined for microplastic contamination. Only a small fraction of all studied fish (2.1%; 6 individuals) c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2018-02, Vol.127, p.211-216
Main Authors: Ory, Nicolas, Chagnon, Catherine, Felix, Fernando, Fernández, César, Ferreira, Joana Lia, Gallardo, Camila, Garcés Ordóñez, Ostin, Henostroza, Aida, Laaz, Enrique, Mizraji, Ricardo, Mojica, Hermes, Murillo Haro, Vladimir, Ossa Medina, Luis, Preciado, Mercy, Sobral, Paula, Urbina, Mauricio A., Thiel, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Coastal environments
Coastal waters
Colour
Contamination
Digestive system
Environmental Monitoring
Fish
Fishes
Gastrointestinal tract
Human populations
Humboldt Current System
Ingestion
Microplastic contamination
Microplastics
Pacific Ocean
Planktivorous fish
Plastics
Plastics - analysis
Southeast Pacific Ocean
Species
Upwelling systems
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
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Summary:The gut contents of 292 planktivorous fish, from four families (Atherinopsidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Scombridae) and seven species, captured along the coast of the southeast Pacific, were examined for microplastic contamination. Only a small fraction of all studied fish (2.1%; 6 individuals) contained microplastic particles in their digestive tract. Microplastics found were degraded hard fragments and threads, ranging from 1.1 to 4.9 (3.8±SD 2.4) mm in length, and of various colours, which suggests that the planktivorous fish species examined herein did not capture microplastics on the basis of their colour. The low prevalence of microplastic contamination in planktivorous fishes found in this study suggests that the risk of accidental ingestion by these species might be limited in the coastal upwelled waters of the southeast Pacific, perhaps due to small human population and highly dynamic oceanographic processes. •Few (2%) planktivorous fish from coastal waters of the southeast Pacific had ingested microplastics.•Microplastics were degraded hard fragments and threads of various colours.•Planktivorous fishes from the SE Pacific coasts are under low risk of microplastic contamination.•Upwelled coastal waters may quickly transport plastic litter offshore.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.016