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Quantification and characterization of microplastics in commercial fish from southern New Zealand
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Researchers quantified microplastic ingestion in ten commercially important fish species from southern New Zealand using microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The study found that 75% of fish contained microplastics, with an average of 2.5 particles per fish, predominantly fibers in blue, black, and red colors, composed mainly of polyester and polyethylene terephthalate.
Plastics are ubiquitous throughout global marine ecosystems. To date, there has been limited research on the prevalence of microplastic ingestion by commercially important marine fish in the southern hemisphere, particularly in the South Pacific. Therefore, this research aimed to quantify ingested microplastics from ten commercially important fish species from southern New Zealand using microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Overall, we found evidence of microplastic ingestion in 75 % of fish, with an average of 2.5 individual particles per fish. Microplastic fibers were the most commonly ingested. The most common colored microplastics ingested were blue, black and red, and 99.68 % of plastics identified were smaller than 5 mm. Raman spectroscopy of plastics recovered from nine fish species found polyethylene and polypropylene to be the most common plastic polymers ingested. Further research is necessary to ascertain the human ecological and health risks involved when exposed to microplastics through eating plastic contaminated fish.
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Six commercially important fish species from coastal and oceanic habitats in central Chile were analyzed for microplastics, with red microfibers (70–100% of particles) as the dominant form and polyester, PE, and PET as the main polymers, and coastal species showing higher abundance and larger fibers than oceanic species. The study documents microplastic contamination in Chilean commercial fisheries and a habitat-dependent difference in plastic burden.
Microplastic occurrence in 21 coastal marine fish species from fishing communities on Viti Levu, Fiji
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Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in 184 fish from 21 species across three coastal communities in Fiji and found microplastics in 74% of fish examined. Fibers were the most common particle type at 66%, with polyethylene and polypropylene the dominant polymers. This dataset, the largest of its kind for Fiji, establishes a critical baseline for monitoring plastic pollution in the region's coastal fishing grounds.
Microplastic contamination in commercially important marine fishes from the Sohar Coast, Sea of Oman: occurrence, characterization, and polymer composition
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Researchers examined 120 fish from four commercially important species caught off Oman's Sohar coast and found microplastics in the gut or gills of nearly 80% of them. Most particles were fibers under 2mm long, with polyester being the most common plastic type found.
Microplastics in the digestive tracts of commercial fish from the marine ranching in east China sea, China
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Researchers examined the digestive tracts of 125 commercial fish from 24 species in a Chinese marine ranching area, finding microplastics in 38% of individuals, predominantly blue and black fibers made of cellophane and cellulose. These findings provide baseline data on microplastic ingestion by seafood species in China's coastal marine environments.
Low abundance of microplastics in commercially caught fish across southern Australia
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in nine commercially important fish species purchased from seafood markets across 4,000 km of southern Australia. They found that about 35.5% of fish had at least one microplastic particle in their gastrointestinal tract, with an average load of 0.94 pieces per fish, and polyolefin was the dominant polymer type. While microplastic ingestion was widespread across species and locations, the levels were lower than those reported in similar global studies.
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