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Mugilidae fish as bioindicator for monitoring plastic pollution: Comparison between a commercial port and a fishpond (north-western Mediterranean Sea)
Summary
Mugilidae mullet fish were compared as microplastic bioindicators between a commercial port and a semi-intensive fishpond in the northwestern Mediterranean, with stomach content analysis revealing significantly higher plastic loads in fish from the port environment. The study supports Mugilidae as useful sentinel species for monitoring plastic pollution gradients in coastal zones.
In the last decade, interest in monitoring and managing plastic pollution has greatly increased. This study compared levels of microplastic contamination in stomachs of Mugilidae fish, suggesting this family as a target for plastic pollution monitoring in areas with different degrees of anthropisation. Two sites characterised by low and high anthropic impact, a fishpond (S'Ena Arrubia, Italy) and a port (Genoa, Italy), respectively, were compared. This study highlighted a stronger microplastic contamination in the port, with a higher percentage of fish showing the presence of microplastics and a larger polymeric variability compared to the fishpond. The microplastic number in fish from the port was higher than in the literature, but it was not significantly different from S'Ena Arrubia in terms of the microplastic percentage found in single individuals. Biomonitoring of microplastic contamination in Mugilidae fish resulted in a valid tool for the investigation of areas differently affected by human activity.
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