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First evidence of microplastic “nurdle” consumption by fish in south-eastern Australia
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For the first time, plastic nurdles — the small pre-production pellets used to manufacture most plastic goods — were found in the gut contents of fish in south-eastern Australia, with pink snapper being much more susceptible to ingestion than blue groper. Nurdle ingestion appeared to increase with fish size, suggesting that larger, commercially important fish species may be accumulating these particles through their natural feeding behavior.
“Nurdles” are small, spherical pellets used in plastic manufacturing which can pollute waterways and there are increasing reports of nurdle ingestion by fishes worldwide. We investigated nurdle occurrence for two ecologically and economically important species with differing diets, Chrysophrys auratus (pink snapper) and Achoerodus viridis (blue groper) in south-eastern Australia. Gut contents of 111 C. auratus revealed 8.1 % (nine individuals) ingested nurdles, while there were no nurdles within 39 A. viridis. Furthermore, larger sized C. auratus had a significantly greater likelihood of containing nurdles. This first report of nurdles in fish from south-eastern Australia suggests that consumption varies between and within species. We attribute this to different feeding strategies and suggest C. auratus indirectly consume nurdles when foraging in sediments or consuming prey like invertebrates or small fish. Importantly, our study raises the potential for nurdles as a source of microplastics in fishes, highlighting the need for research into potential implications.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.