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Museum-archived myctophids reveal decadal trends in microplastic and microfiber ingestion
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Researchers measured microplastic and microfiber ingestion in museum-archived deep-sea fish (myctophids) collected from 1962 to 2016 to determine whether contamination has increased in parallel with rising plastic production. Fish near the U.S. west coast showed a significant trend toward increasing microplastic ingestion over the 54-year period, though no significant trend was found across the broader North Pacific dataset.
Global plastic production has surged since the 1960s, resulting in the pervasive presence of microplastics in the environment, yet there is a substantial gap in understanding historical trends of plastic pollution in wildlife. Recent discoveries of significant microplastic contamination in fishes have sparked considerable contemporary advancements in analytical methods and hold the potential to fill gaps in historical trends. We measured the presence of microplastics in museum-archived myctophids (Stenobrachius leucopsarus, Diaphus theta, and Tarletonbeania crenularis) collected from 1962 to 2016, to determine if trends in contamination levels over time correspond with the rise in plastics production. Seventy particles were extracted from 57 of the 240 individuals (23.8 % average occurrence across the time series) consisting of primarily blue and black microfibers. Anthropogenically modified cellulose was the dominant material (87 %) identified through μFTIR analysis, with polypropylene and polyethylene particles occurring secondarily. Although the complete time series across a broad geographical range of the North Pacific did not reveal a significant temporal trend, myctophids collected in proximity to the U.S. west coast showed a trend towards increasing incidence of microplastic and microfiber ingestion over time (p ≤ 0.05). Using historical samples of species with higher ingestion levels and consistent collection locations would improve the reliability of future investigations.
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Researchers analyzed preserved museum fish specimens spanning over a century (1900-2017) and found that microplastic concentrations in freshwater fish digestive tissues have increased significantly over time, correlating with rising global plastic production. The increase was most pronounced after the 1950s when plastic manufacturing expanded dramatically. The study provides the first historical timeline of microplastic ingestion in freshwater fish, confirming that contamination has escalated alongside industrial plastic use.
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Using archived museum specimens of lanternfish collected from 1999 to 2017, researchers tracked microplastic ingestion trends in one of the world's most abundant deep-sea vertebrates. They found that 55% of 1,167 specimens contained microplastics, with ingestion probability increasing over time, and that migration patterns were the strongest predictor of contamination levels.
Monitoring the evolution of deep-sea microplastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific using natural history collection holothurian specimens
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Researchers used preserved holothurian (sea cucumber) specimens from natural history collections spanning decades to monitor the temporal evolution of deep-sea microplastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific, providing a rare historical record of how microplastic ingestion by benthic organisms has changed since plastic production began in the 1950s.
Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic
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Researchers found consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates in the North East Atlantic over a 40-year period from 1976 to 2015, demonstrating that microplastic contamination of remote deep-sea habitats is a long-standing and persistent problem.
Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic
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A long-term study spanning nearly four decades (1976-2015) found consistent microplastic ingestion in two deep-sea invertebrate species from the Northeast Atlantic, demonstrating that deep-sea organisms have been exposed to plastic pollution since at least the late 1970s. The results highlight that microplastic contamination has long penetrated even remote and poorly monitored deep-sea habitats.
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