Microplastic Contamination in Shrimps from the Negombo Lagoon—Sri Lanka

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a serious global issue affecting freshwater systems, coastal regions, and oceans. These non-biodegradable materials have a detrimental impact on marine species and ecosystems, disrupting their feeding, breathing, and reproduction. In this study, 120 samples of two species of shrimp, Penaus monodon and Penaus indicus, from ten locations in the Negombo lagoon in Sri Lanka were analyzed. MPs were extracted from gastrointestinal tracts (GI) and gills (GL) by alkali digestion followed by vacuum filtering. Stereomicroscopy coupled with advanced micro-imaging and analysis software was employed for analyzing the isolated MPs. A total of 415 items were identified as MPs with an average of 8.29 ± 4.63 items per gram of GI and GL in Penaus monodon and 5.52 ± 3.78 items per gram of GI and GL in Penaus indicus. The majority of MPs identified were fibers (93%), and the remaining ones were fragments. Most of the MPs were >1000 μm, and the most prevalent color was blue (61%), followed by red (15%), black (9%), and others, comprising polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, and rayon, as revealed by FTIR spectroscopy. This study highlights the prevalence of MPs in shrimps harvested from the Negombo lagoon and displays missing baseline data before the effects of fragmented nurdles from the X-Press Pearl incident.