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Microplastics in beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) prey: An exploratory assessment of trophic transfer in the Beaufort Sea
The Science of The Total Environment2021
54 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 55
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Rhiannon Moore,
Marie Noël,
Rhiannon Moore,
Rhiannon Moore,
Rhiannon Moore,
Leah Bendell,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Peter S. Ross,
Anna Posacka,
Rhiannon Moore,
Rhiannon Moore,
Marie Noël,
Anna Posacka,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Leah Bendell,
Marie Noël,
Lisa L. Loseto
Peter S. Ross,
Marie Noël,
Leah Bendell,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Leah Bendell,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Peter S. Ross,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Peter S. Ross,
Rhiannon Moore,
Marie Noël,
Marie Noël,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Rhiannon Moore,
Leah Bendell,
Lisa L. Loseto
Peter S. Ross,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Peter S. Ross,
Marie Noël,
Peter S. Ross,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Anna Posacka,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Marie Noël,
Leah Bendell,
Leah Bendell,
Leah Bendell,
Anna Posacka,
Anna Posacka,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Anna Posacka,
Anna Posacka,
Anna Posacka,
Anna Posacka,
Anna Posacka,
Lisa L. Loseto
Marie Noël,
Anahita Etemadifar,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Marie Noël,
Leah Bendell,
Lisa L. Loseto
Leah Bendell,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Leah Bendell,
Anna Posacka,
Leah Bendell,
Anna Posacka,
Lisa L. Loseto
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Peter S. Ross,
Lisa L. Loseto
Summary
Researchers examined microplastic contamination in five fish species that are prey for beluga whales in the eastern Beaufort Sea of the Arctic. They found microplastics in 21% of fish examined, predominantly fibers, and estimated that individual beluga whales may ingest between 3,800 and 145,000 microplastic particles annually through their diet.
Microplastics (MPs, <5 mm in length) have been identified as emerging contaminants in marine environments, with ingestion by a variety of biota being of increasing concern. Few studies exist on MP ingestion in Arctic fish, and there are currently no such data from the Beaufort Sea. We investigated MP abundance in five ecologically valuable species from three sampling sites in the Eastern Beaufort Sea to evaluate possible trophic-level pathways of MPs from prey to beluga whales. Polymer analysis confirmed that 21% of fish gastrointestinal tracts (n = 116) contained microplastic particles. Fish that contained MPs had a mean abundance of 1.42 ± 0.44 particles per individual and an overall mean abundance of 0.37 ± 0.16 particles. No plastic particles >5 mm were found, and 78% of the particles observed were fibers. Based on energetic needs, we estimate that individual beluga may ingest between 3800 and 145,000 microplastics annually through trophic transfer, with uncertain health implications.