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Microplastics in the Digestive Tracts of Four Fish Species from the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta Estuary in Colombia
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Researchers found microplastics in the digestive tracts of four commercially sold fish species from a Colombian estuary, with polyester and polyethylene fibers being the most common types detected. This is the first evidence of microplastic ingestion in fish from Colombian coastal waters, raising concerns for both ecosystem health and human dietary exposure through seafood.
This study investigated the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the gastrointestinal tracts of four fish species from the estuarine Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM) in northern Colombia. Of the 140 fish purchased at a local market, 17 (12.1%) were found to contain MPs as confirmed by FT-IR analysis. Among the four different species, Mugil incilis (mullet) showed the highest MP prevalence with just over a fifth of the individuals containing MPs in their gastrointestinal tracts (10 out of 46 (frequency of MP occurrence in %) FO% = 21.7%). This was followed by Caranx hippos (crevalle jack, 2 out of 19 (FO% = 10.5%)), Caquetaia kraussii (yellow mojarra, 3 out of 35 (FO% = 8.6%)), and Eugerres plumieri (striped mojarra, 2 out of 40 (FO% = 5.0%)). From the 17 fish, only 19 MPs were found of which 17 (89.5% were fibers) and 2 (10.5%) were fragments. While polyester and polyethylene were the most common fibers, nylon, acrylic, polyethylene, and modacrylic were also identified suggesting a wide variety of origins and sources. These finding provide the first evidence of MP ingestion by resident fish species in Colombian estuarine waters. Since the region has been variously recognized as being of regional and international importance (i.e., RAMSAR site in 1998 and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000), we advocate the ongoing investigation of MP pollution in both the environment and biota.
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Juvenile commercial fish from an estuarine environment were found to have ingested microplastics, demonstrating that plastic contamination affects fish at early life stages in transitional coastal ecosystems rather than only in open ocean habitats. Since estuaries serve as nurseries for many commercially important species, microplastic ingestion by juveniles threatens both fish population health and the safety of seafood reaching consumers.
Microplastic in fish – A global synthesis
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A global synthesis of microplastic ingestion data from marine, freshwater, and estuarine fish found that 49% of sampled fish worldwide had ingested plastic, averaging 3.5 pieces per fish, with freshwater fish and those from aquaculture sources showing higher ingestion rates than wild marine fish. This comprehensive analysis reveals that microplastic contamination of fish — a primary human protein source globally — is now the rule rather than the exception, underscoring urgent risks to food safety.
Ingestion of Microplastic by Fish of Different Feeding Habits in Urbanized and Non-urbanized Streams in Southern Brazil
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Researchers found that fish in urbanized streams in southern Brazil were significantly more likely to have ingested microplastic fibers than fish in non-urbanized streams, and that omnivorous species faced the highest exposure risk. This highlights how urban development drives microplastic contamination into freshwater food chains long before particles reach the ocean.
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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.