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Microplastic in Fishes: the First Report From a Himalayan River –alaknanda

Research Square (Research Square) 2023 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Vaishali Bhatt, Neha Badola, J. S. Chauhan

Summary

This study documented microplastic ingestion for the first time in five fish species from the Himalayan river Alaknanda, a headwater of the Ganges. Even remote mountain rivers are now contaminated with microplastics, indicating these particles have reached freshwater ecosystems far from their primary sources.

Polymers
HDPE
Models
Fish other
Study Type Environmental

Abstract In the present study, we tried to understand MPs ingestion by five fish species of different feeding habits namely, Schizothorax richardsonii and Crossocheilus latius (herbivore), Cyprinus carpio, Tor chelenoid (omnivore), and Botia horii (carnivore). The fishes were sampled from the patch of the Himalayan river, Alaknanda (one of the headwaters of river Ganges) at Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand. The fish gut samples were digested, filtered and the number of MPs was then counted microscopically. The results revealed that all the species were contaminated with MPs and the rate of MP ingestion varied with feeding habits. Fish Tor chelenoid , the omnivore, was observed to have maximum MPs. Among the analyzed particles, fibers (66%) were the most dominant type chemically characterized as HDPE, PP, and polyester. This study will contribute as a reference for forthcoming research as it explains the ingestion of MPs by fishes of a Himalayan River.

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