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Preliminary evaluation of microplastic ingestion and phthalates load in Mediterranean Lanternfish (Myctophum punctatum)
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Researchers examined microplastic ingestion and phthalate contamination in Mediterranean lanternfish (Myctophum punctatum), a species that migrates vertically through the water column where floating plastic debris accumulates. The study confirmed both microplastic uptake and measurable phthalate levels in fish muscle tissue, suggesting these small fish are a pathway for plastic-associated chemicals to enter marine food webs.
Myctophids plays a key role in trophic webs from the continental slope and pelagic waters linking the zooplankton to top predators, such as cetaceans. They feed mainly on copepods, euphausiids, amphipods, and decapods during upward nightly migration into the epipelagic zone where floating plastic debris is described to accumulate. As a consequence of their vertical migration, these fish may reflect the ingestion of microplastics (MPs) along the water column and be exposed to load of hazardous chemicals such as Phthalates esters (PAEs) leached from these particles. Within the Plastic Busters MPAs project, 20 specimens of Myctophum punctatum have been collected using a plankton net during a sampling campaign carried out in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea during summer 2018. Fish were properly processed to evaluate the potential relationship between the ingestion of MPs and the levels of chemicals released from the ingested particles. The gastrointestinal tract of each organism was chemically digested using KOH and filtered through a glass-fiber membrane. Levels of four different PAEs (DIBP, DBP, DEHP and BBzP) were evaluated in the fish muscle, as plastic tracers. MPs isolated were characterized by size, shape, colour, and chemical composition by FTIR spectroscopy. The presence of MPs confirms the hazard associated with the debris ingestion for this species and its transfer throughout the marine trophic web. The chemical analysis revealed for the first time the levels of PAEs in the muscle tissue of Mediterranean lanternfish, confirming their bioavailability for these organisms. Being these toxic chemicals used as plasticizers, their presence could be due to the leaching of these compounds from floating plastics debris ingested during the feeding activity. The results provide data on an ecologically valuable and poorly investigated species, emphasizing the challenges between the plastic debris accumulation and the associated risks to wildlife.
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Microplastics in Lampanyctus crocodilus (Risso 1810, Myctophidae), a Common Lanternfish Species from the Ibiza Channel (Western Mediterranean)
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First record of plastic debris in the stomach of Mediterranean lanternfishes
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For the first time, scientists found plastic debris in the stomachs of Mediterranean lanternfishes, small deep-sea fish that migrate vertically between depths every day. About 2.7-5.8% of individual fish had ingested plastic, raising concerns that these migratory species could transfer plastic pollutants from surface waters to deeper ecosystems and up the food chain to larger predators.
Influencing factors for microplastic intake in abundant deep-sea lanternfishes (Myctophidae)
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Researchers found microplastics in 68% of mesopelagic lanternfish from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic, with body size and feeding depth identified as key factors influencing microplastic intake in these abundant deep-sea fish.
Lanternfish as bioindicator of microplastics in the deep sea: A spatiotemporal analysis using museum specimens
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Using archived museum specimens of lanternfish collected from 1999 to 2017, researchers tracked microplastic ingestion trends in one of the world's most abundant deep-sea vertebrates. They found that 55% of 1,167 specimens contained microplastics, with ingestion probability increasing over time, and that migration patterns were the strongest predictor of contamination levels.
The complex issue of chemicals and microplastic pollution: A case study in North Pacific lanternfish
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Lanternfish (a common deep-sea fish) were examined for microplastics and associated chemicals, finding that chemical exposure from their natural prey was far greater than from microplastics. This suggests that while microplastics are present, they may not be the primary route of chemical contamination in deep-sea fish.
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