Microplastics Contamination in Commercial Fish Landed at Tasikagung Rembang Coastal Fishing Port, Central Java, Indonesia

Microplastics are synthetic polymers measuring 5mm or less. Biota may deliberately or inadvertently consume microplastics that pollute aquatic environments. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of microplastics in the gills, digestive tracts, and flesh of the commercial fish species Decapterus sp., Priacanthus tayenus, and Nemipterus sp. captured in PPP Tasikagung, Rembang. The objective of this study was to identify and study the features of microplastics in commercial fish, specifically Decapterus sp., P. tayenus, and Nemipterus sp., at PPP Tasikagung, focusing on their shape, color, size, and polymer type. In July and September 2024, 30 individual fish specimens were gathered. We quantified the length and mass of each fish specimen, performed dissections, and procured the gills, digestive tract, and tissue for examination and microplastic analysis. Each gill, digestive tract, and tissue was processed with a 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution to decompose all organic matter. Whatman No. 41 paper was used to filter the digestion findings, and the prevalence of microplastic morphologies and colors were examined with a binocular microscope (CX21, Olympus, Japan) at a maximum magnification of 400x. The data were examined utilizing Microsoft Excel and SPSS 25.0 software. The analysis indicates that the average microplastic detection rates are 40.8% for Decapterus sp., 25.7% for P. tayenus, and 33.5% for Nemipterus sp. Microplastic forms were predominantly characterized by fiber shapes and a black color. The microplastics predominantly identified in this investigation range in size from 50 to 500µm. This study reveals microplastic contamination, emphasizing the urgent necessity to tackle microplastic pollution in aquatic environments to protect the health of organisms and to ensure human food safety.