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Observation of microplastics in mariculture water of Longjiao Bay, southeast China: Influence by human activities
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A 9-month study of a shrimp mariculture farm in southeastern China found microplastic concentrations of 250–5,150 items/m³ in culture pond water, with seasonal variation and granules and fibers as dominant types — identifying aquaculture pond management practices as a driver of local MP levels.
The fishery and mariculture industry contributes to social food supply and offers high-quality protein to humans. However, mariculture is recently regarded as an important source of marine microplastic pollution, which might even pose a threat to human health. Here we investigated a shrimp-culturing farm for 9 months in Longjiao Bay, a typical mariculture area in southeast China, to study the occurrence and seasonal variations of microplastics in the mariculture water. Results showed that microplastics were widely present (250-5150 particles/m, mean 1594 particles/m) in the water of culture ponds. Granules (41.36%) and fibers (34.93%) were the main components of microplastics and white (45.42%) is the dominant color, followed by yellow (32.13%) and black (19.55%). Most of microplastics had a particle size between 0.30 mm and 5.00 mm (92.03%). The proportions of PE (34.40%) and PET (30.18%) accounted for more than 60% of detected microplastics. The abundance of microplastics in mariculture water had a potential positive correlation with local seafood yield and a negative correlation with land areas. This study suggested that further research is needed to figure out the impact of the high levels of microplastic abundance in mariculture environments on organisms, especially cultured ones.
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Microplastic pollution in Zhanjiang Bay, a semi-enclosed bay in southern China with intensive mariculture, was monitored across seasons, finding that aquaculture activities were associated with elevated plastic concentrations and seasonal fluctuations linked to farming operations. The study identifies mariculture infrastructure and practices as significant contributors to localized coastal microplastic pollution.
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This study assessed microplastic abundance, characteristics, and ecological risk in shrimp aquaculture environments, finding that farming activities introduce and accumulate microplastics in pond sediments and water that pose risk to cultured organisms.
Microplastic pollution in surface seawater of Sanggou Bay, China: Occurrence, source and inventory
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Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in the surface seawater of Sanggou Bay, China, finding average abundances of 20.06 items per litre dominated by polyethylene fragments smaller than 0.5 mm, and estimating that approximately 62.76% of the microplastic inventory originated from local aquaculture and fishing activities.
Long-term trends of microplastics in seawater and farmed oysters in the Maowei Sea, China
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Annual variation in microplastic abundance was tracked in seawater and farmed oysters in the Maowei Sea, a mariculture bay in southern China, over multiple years. The long-term monitoring revealed trends linking seasonal and anthropogenic factors to microplastic contamination levels in both water and shellfish.
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