Ingestion of microplastics by pelagic fish from the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast

As in the rest of the world, plastics are the most dominant marine litter category in Moroccan Atlantic waters. This work aims to identify the presence of microplastics in the stomach contents of three small pelagic species of the Central zone of the Atlantic, located between Cape Cantin (33°N) and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 2020-06, Vol.261, p.114194-114194, Article 114194
Main Authors: Maaghloud, Hind, Houssa, Rachida, Ouansafi, Soukaina, Bellali, Fatima, El Bouqdaoui, Karima, Charouki, Najib, Fahde, Abdelilah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
FTIR
Microplastics ingestion
Pelagic fish
Stomach contents
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Summary:As in the rest of the world, plastics are the most dominant marine litter category in Moroccan Atlantic waters. This work aims to identify the presence of microplastics in the stomach contents of three small pelagic species of the Central zone of the Atlantic, located between Cape Cantin (33°N) and Cape Boujdor (26°N): Scomber spp., Truchurus truchurus and Sardina pilchardus; Also, to map the spatial distribution of the investigated species. A total of 251 individuals were examined, composed by 118 Scomber spp, 82 Sardina pilchardus and 51 Trachurus trachurus. The characterization of microplastics ingested by those species was identified by FTIR. The results showed the presence of three polymers: Polyamide (PA), Acrylic (PC) and Polystyrene (PS), in 26% of the individuals studied. The presence of polymers was accumulated in Atlantic horse mackerel (Truchurus truchurus) with 30%, then in mackerels (Scomber spp.) with 27%, and European pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus) (9%). Fish containing microplastics in their stomachs are concentrated, mainly in the northern part of the study area. This zone has significant artisanal fishing activity and large rivers that can be source of microplastics. [Display omitted] •Microplastics ingested by pelagic fish, were identified by FTIR in the Central zone of the Moroccan Atlantic coastline.•The presence of microplastics was detected essentially in fish sampled in the north of Tantan port.•Horse meckerel (Truchurus truchurus) was registered the highest accumulation of microplastics with 30%.
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114194