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Evidence for non-selective ingestion of microplastic in demersal fish
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Researchers found that 54% of demersal fish stomachs in Hong Kong contained microplastics across five species, with no significant difference between species, wild versus farmed fish, or locations, suggesting non-selective ingestion, though fish near the Pearl River showed higher contamination frequency.
Microplastics have been observed in >100 species of fish, with considerable variability in levels of contamination in different species and different geographic locations. Here, we investigated the incidence of microplastic in five species of demersal fish (four wild-caught species and one from a mariculture business) in Hong Kong. We observed that 54% of fish stomachs contained microplastic (hard fragments and fibres) with no significant difference in the abundance of microplastic ingested between the species, between wild and commercial fish farms, or between locations. In addition, we observed no difference between the type of microplastics (shape or composition) ingested by fish. However, we did observe spatial variation, with fish closest to the Pearl River having higher frequency of occurrence of microplastics which reinforce the evidence that fish collected close to urban area are more likely to ingest microplastics.
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Researchers systematically characterized microplastics in 19 fish species from the Yellow Sea coast of China, finding plastic retention in 34% of individual fish sampled, with fibers dominating and significant variation in microplastic load by species and habitat.
Microplastic Ingestion by Fish with Different Feeding Habits from Different Habitats in a Typical Semi-Enclosed Haizhou Bay
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.