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Microplastics in fish gut, first records from the Tom River in West Siberia, Russia
Summary
This preliminary study found an average of 204 microplastic particles per fish in the digestive tracts of 13 dace sampled from the Tom River in West Siberia, Russia — the first such record from this region. Most particles were irregular fragments, with sizes under 0.5mm, suggesting that microplastic contamination has reached remote Siberian river systems.
This preliminary study investigated the abundance of microplastic particles in gastrointestinal tracts of the dace (Leuciscus leuciscus L.) from the Tom River, a large tributary of the Ob River in West Siberia. A total of 13 dace specimens of 2+ to 4+ years of age were studied. Microplastic particles extracted from fish guts were counted and classified by shapes and sizes. In average 204 ± 28.7 items of microplastics were detected for one dace specimen. Microplastic particles were categorized as fragments of irregular shape (70%), spheres (16%), films (7%) and fibers (7%), with size ranging from <0.15 to 2.00 mm. The vast majority of detected microplastic particles (almost 80%) were less than 0.15 mm by their largest dimension. These data provide the first evidence of microplastics in fish from the Ob River system.