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First report of microplastic ingestion by the alien fish Pirapitinga (Piaractus brachypomus) in the Ramsar site Vembanad Lake, south India
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Researchers reported the first documented case of microplastic ingestion by the alien fish Pirapitinga (Piaractus brachypomus) in Vembanad Lake, India, a Ramsar-designated wetland, with fibers and fragments identified in gastrointestinal tracts of fish that had escaped aquaculture facilities during flooding events.
This study reports on the ingestion of microplastics by the alien fish Pirapitinga, Piaractus brachypomus (Characiformes; Serrasalmidae) that escaped Vembanad lake, the largest brackish water lake in the south-west coast of India, from the aquaculture systems during flooding. Microplastics separated from the gut of 32 out of the 123 fishes (26%) examined were identified using Attenuated Total Reflectance - Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR), and Raman Spectroscopy. In total, 69 microplastic particles, represented by fibers, foam and fragments were recovered from the fish, with sizes ranging from 0.89 to 4.85 mm. The ATR-FTIR spectral analyses revealed the presence of polymers polyethylene and Nylon 6. The occurrence of PP, Nylon 6, PET and PBT were confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. The presence of MPs in the gut content of alien fish P. brachypomus could be a reflection of the increasing microplastics pollution in the estuaries and backwaters along the south-west coast of India.
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This spatiotemporal study examined microplastic contamination in Harike wetland—the largest wetland in northern India and a Ramsar-designated site—across multiple seasons, sampling both surface water from the associated canal and gut contents of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Microplastic concentrations were significantly higher in winter than in summer or the rainy season, with HDPE and nylon dominating, and FTIR and GC-MS confirmed polymer identity. Microplastics were recovered from 7% of fish guts analyzed, indicating trophic transfer in this ecologically important and regionally water-supply-critical wetland.
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This study investigated microplastic abundance and distribution in the water column of Vembanad Lake, a Ramsar-designated wetland in Kerala, India. Researchers found an average of 26.79 items per liter in subsurface waters and 52.70 items per liter in bottom waters, with fibers making up more than half of all detected microplastics.
Microplastic contamination in Ashtamudi Lake, India: Insights from a Ramsar wetland
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Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in water, sediment, fish, and shellfish of Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar-designated wetland in southwest India. They found microplastics present across all sampled compartments of this ecologically and economically important brackish water system. The study raises concerns about potential human exposure to microplastics through locally consumed fishery resources from this important coastal lake.
Assessment and quantification of microplastic contamination in fishes with different food habits from Beel wetlands
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in fish from freshwater wetlands in India, finding particles in the digestive tracts of all 90 fish sampled across different feeding types. Carnivorous fish accumulated the most microplastics, followed by omnivores and then herbivores, suggesting trophic transfer plays a role. The most common particles were fibers in the 100 to 500 micrometer size range, with polyethylene and nylon as the dominant polymer types.
Microplastic pollution in Vembanad Lake, Kerala, India: The first report of microplastics in lake and estuarine sediments in India
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Researchers conducted the first study of microplastics in Vembanad Lake, Kerala, India, finding plastic particles across sampled sites and documenting the types and polymer composition of contamination in this important freshwater ecosystem.
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