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Microplastics absent from reef fish in the Marshall Islands: Multistage screening methods reduced false positives
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A multi-stage screening study of reef fish gut contents from the Marshall Islands found no microplastics in 97 fish across nine species, suggesting that apparent microplastics in prior studies may largely reflect contamination or misidentification rather than true ingestion.
Island communities, like the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), depend on marine resources for food and economics, so plastic ingestion by those resources is a concern. The gastrointestinal tracts of nine species of reef fish across five trophic groups (97 fish) were examined for plastics >1 mm. Over 2100 putative plastic particles from 72 fish were identified under light microscopy. Only 115 of these from 47 fish passed a plastic screening method using Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (μFTIR) in reflectance mode. All of these were identified as natural materials in a final confirmatory analysis, attenuated total reflectance FTIR. The high false-positive rate of visual and μFTIR methods highlight the importance of using multiple polymer identification methods. Limited studies on ingested plastic in reef fish present challenging comparisons because of different methods used. No plastic >1 mm were found in the RMI reef fish, reassuring human consumers.
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The presence of microplastics in fishes of South Maldives
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Researchers found microplastics in the gut, gills, and flesh of two fish species collected from South Maldives, with 80% of one species containing plastic particles, indicating widespread ingestion by reef fish in this remote island nation and potential transfer into the human food chain.
Evaluation of microplastic ingestion by tropical fish from Moorea Island, French Polynesia
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Researchers evaluated microplastic ingestion by four genera of adult tropical fish around Moorea Island, French Polynesia, finding microplastics in 21% of 133 digestive tracts examined. Ingested microplastic pieces averaged 1.25 per individual, with 70% of particles smaller than 0.3 mm, indicating widespread contamination of coral reef food webs.
Ingestion of plastic by fish destined for human consumption in remote South Pacific Islands
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Plastic was found in the digestive tracts of 24 fish species collected from local fishermen and markets across remote South Pacific islands, with species consuming plastic regardless of feeding guild. The results raise public health concerns for Pacific island communities where fish is a dietary staple and plastic marine debris is widespread.
Investigation of microplastic contamination in the gastrointestinal tract of some species of caught fish from Oman Sea
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Researchers found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish species sampled from marine environments, documenting plastic ingestion across multiple species. The study contributes to the growing evidence base on microplastic contamination in commercially important fish.
Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in commercial marine fish from Malaysia
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Microplastics were found in the digestive tracts of eight commercially important marine fish species caught in Malaysian waters, with prevalence and particle types varying by species and location. The study raises food safety concerns for Malaysian seafood consumers and highlights the widespread occurrence of microplastic ingestion in wild-caught fish from Southeast Asian seas.
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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.