Microplastic concentration in asiatic hard clam meretrix meretrix (Linneaus, 1758) from Lemo Beach, Burau District, Luwu Timur Regency, South Sulawesi

Abstract Microplastic pollution is a problem that is currently attracting the attention of various groups, from scientists to ordinary people. This type of pollution can have a negative impact on aquatic biota, especially organisms that have filter feeder behavior. Asiatic hard clam ( Meretrix meretrix ) is a filter feeder organism that has a considerable risk of being exposed to microplastics. This study aims to analyze the concentration of microplastics in Asiatic hard clam ( M. meretrix ) at Lemo Beach, Burau District, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. Sampling was performed using purposive random sampling method. The number of samples of Asiatic hard clam was 118 which were divided into three groups of shell length, namely class A (2.75 - 3.40 cm), class B (3.41 - 4.21 cm), class C (4.22 - 5.24 cm). Observation of microplastic particles is carried out using a stereo microscope equipped with a camera (Miconos optical lab). The results of the frequency analysis of the presence of microplastics in the clam showed that class A was the class with the highest frequency, namely 95.67%. The observed microplastics were in the form of fibers, fragments, and films with a predominantly black and transparent color. The size of the observed microplastics ranged from 0.033-0.88 mm. The results of the microplastic concentration analysis showed that size class A had a greater concentration than class B and class C.