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Microplastic contamination in Corpus Christi Bay blue crabs,Callinectes sapidus
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Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) from Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, finding microplastics in crab stomachs and identifying fragment and fiber morphologies associated with sediment ingestion during benthic foraging. The study documents microplastic exposure in a commercially and ecologically important estuarine crustacean in the Gulf of Mexico.
Abstract Microplastic pollution has been observed in marine environments around the world and has the potential to negatively impact marine organisms if ingested. Blue crabs ( Callinectes sapidus ) are susceptible to this pollution because they feed in sediment where dense plastics accumulate. Microplastic ingestion by blue crabs was assessed in Corpus Christi Bay, TX. Crab stomachs were extracted and digested using a hydrogen‐peroxide based tissue destruction method followed by material confirmation using microattenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ‐FTIR). From the 39 blue crabs sampled, 28 fully synthetic fragments and fibers and 24 semisynthetic fibers were found within their stomachs. After correcting for possible contamination, 36% of collected blue crabs contained fully synthetic fragments and fibers and semisynthetic fibers with an estimate of 0.87 items per crab. This study demonstrates the need for further studies that assess the impacts of plastic ingestion on blue crabs.
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Researchers collected blue swimming crabs from the Gulf of Thailand and found microplastics in 62.5% of external body parts and 72.2% of internal parts, with fibers dominating and gut tissue showing the highest contamination. The findings indicate widespread MP ingestion in commercially harvested crabs and potential food safety implications.
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This Indonesian study found microplastics in the digestive tracts of blue swimming crabs from Bangkalan waters, with larger crabs ingesting more particles. The results raise food safety concerns because blue swimming crabs are commercially important and widely consumed in Indonesia.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.