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Comparative study on microplastic abundance in fish organs from marine and freshwater ecosystems of the southern Baltic Sea region: influence of habitat zone and feeding preferences
Summary
Researchers found microplastics in 58% of 500 fish specimens examined across Baltic Sea and northern Polish freshwater ecosystems, with carnivorous and benthic species showing the highest contamination levels and blue fibers being the most common particle type across all habitats.
Plastic pollution is an increasing global concern. Microplastics (MPs) accumulation in the environment may potentially trigger negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The current study focuses on the comprehensive assessment of MPs' abundance in fish organs from the Baltic Sea and the coastal, freshwater ecosystems of northern Poland, with special attention put on comparison with other European water aquifers. MPs contributions were evaluated according to habitat zones (demersal, demersal/pelagic, pelagic) and feeding preferences (planktivores, omnivores, carnivores). Plastic items were detected in all examined species, indicating common ingestion across marine and freshwater environments. MPs were found in the gills (47 %), the digestive tract (39 %), and the liver (14 %) of 291 out of 500 specimens (58 %). The range of abundance of MPs items was 1-12 MPs/ind, averaging 1.57 MPs/ind, 1.06 MPs/ind, and 1.43 MPs/ind in marine, freshwater, and all specimens, respectively. The lowest mean number of items was found in sprat (0.2 MPs/ind), while the highest was in lumpfish (3.3 MPs/ind). The highest share of MPs was observed in carnivorous freshwater and benthic marine fish species. Blue fibers were the most common among all MPs. The dominant MPs size distribution ranges 0.11-0.5 mm (31 %) and 1.01-5 mm (30 %). FT-IR spectroscopy-based qualitative expertise revealed the prevalence of cellophane (28 %), polyethylene: polypropylene (19 %), polyethylene (12 %), polystyrene, and polypropylene (8 %).
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