Plastic in the food chain: Investigating microplastic consumption by the blue-swimming crab (de Rochebrune, 1883) and shrimp (Pérez-Farfante, 1967) from an estuarine system in Ghana

Microplastics (MPs) are well documented as highly ubiquitous within the aquatic environment; with ingestion by species of both commercial and consumptive importance attracting public health concern globally. However, there is limited information on microplastics ingestion by shellfish within the estuarine confines of Ghana, considering the local consumption of the species being done wholly without thorough processing. In this study, we investigated microplastic ingestion by the blue-swimming crab (Callinectis aminicola) and shrimps (Penaeus notialis) from the Pra estuary, Ghana. The internal soft tissue of 38 specimens comprising 12 - Callinectis aminicola and 26 - Penaeus notialis were assessed for microplastics using a stereomicroscope and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscope. An overall average of 2.67 ± 1.44 MP items. individuals−1 and 1.64 ± 0.63 MP items. individuals−1 were detected in (91.67%) Callinectis aminicola and (31%) Penaeus notialis respectively. From the analysis, transparent fibrous-shaped MPs within a size range of < 0.5 mm were found to be dominant in the two species. The type of MPs occurring most were polyethylene followed by polyester, polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics in the sampled specimens. This finding provides supporting evidence for the ingestion of microplastics by the blue-swimming crab and shrimps in the Pra estuary echoing their prevalence and ecological relevance in the area which requires urgent policy consideration and local sensitization efforts.