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Microplastics Contamination of Fish From The Creeks Along The Kenya Coast, Western Indian Ocean (WIO).

African Journal of Biological Sciences 2021 4 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Joyce Ombongi, Joyce Ombongi, Joyce Ombongi, Joyce Ombongi, Agnes Muthumbi Agnes Muthumbi John Mmari Onyari, Agnes Muthumbi Agnes Muthumbi Agnes Muthumbi Deborah Robertson- Andersson, Agnes Muthumbi John Mmari Onyari, John Mmari Onyari, Deborah Robertson- Andersson, Deborah Robertson- Andersson, Deborah Robertson- Andersson, Edward Kimani, Deborah Robertson- Andersson, Deborah Robertson- Andersson, John Mmari Onyari, Edward Kimani, Edward Kimani, Edward Kimani, John Mmari Onyari, Edward Kimani, Agnes Muthumbi Agnes Muthumbi

Summary

This study found microplastics in five common food fish species along the Kenya coast of the Indian Ocean, with bottom-dwelling fish showing higher contamination than pelagic or reef fish. The findings indicate that plastic pollution has reached East African coastal fisheries, with potential implications for food safety among communities that depend on seafood.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics (MPs) are a global threat to marine life, but information available on the extent of pollution along the Kenya Indian ocean coast is absent. Ingestion of MPs by five common pelagic fish from the region was investigated in this study. Fish tissues were digested in 10 % potassium Hydroxide (KOH) at 60 °C for 14 hours and the MPs separated by floatation method using supersaturated Sodium Chloride (NaCl) solution. The benthic fish studied (Acanthopagrus berda had a mean of 0.48 ± 0.06 MPs per gram (g-1) tissue, Gerres oyena 0.20 ± 0.02, Terapon jarbua 0.20 ± 0.06) had higher MPs contamination compared to the pelagic (Rastrelliger kanagurta 0.054 ± 0.011) and reef fish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis 0.038 ± 0.009) reflecting the influence of habits and habitat on MPs contamination in fish. Fish caught in the second sampling had higher MPs contamination compared to the first and fish from Mida Creek had higher MPs contamination compared to those from Tudor and Port-Reitz probably because they were mainly benthic fish. Gut and gills of all species contained significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than the flesh. Thus, we recommend that fish be gutted and thoroughly clean the gills before cooking to reduce MPs contamination. There is need for further research to evaluate the risk posed to humans by the consumption of marine water fish that ingested microplastics.Keywords Microplastic contamination; fish; Creeks; Western Indian Ocean Kenya Coast

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