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Microplastic pollution in water and fish samples around Nanxun Reef in Nansha Islands, South China Sea
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Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in water and fish around Nanxun Reef in the South China Sea and found an average concentration of 1,733 particles per cubic meter in surface water and about 3 items per fish. Fibers dominated in fish samples while blue microbeads were most common in the water. The study suggests that fishery activities and domestic sewage are the primary sources of microplastic contamination in this remote reef system.
Nanxun Reef is one of the typical reefs in Nansha Islands, South China Sea. As the Nansha Islands are surrounded by certain developing countries, the economic and population growth have resulted in increased surface runoff of persistent organic pollutants in offshore areas. Microplastic has been found in many freshwaters and sea areas in recent years. However, the levels of microplastics contamination in Nansha Islands are still uncharted. In this study, 15 water and 35 fish samples were collected around the Nanxun Reef. The average concentration of microplastics was 1733 items/m for surface water samples and 3.1 items per individual for fish samples. The majority of ingested microplastics by fish were fibers, mostly transparent or blue. In surface water samples, blue microbeads were the main types of microplastics, accounting for 76.5% of all the detected particles. The main size of microplastics was <0.5 mm both in water and fish samples. Our results demonstrated that fishery activities and human domestic sewage might be the dominant sources of microplastic pollution in the Nansha Island, South China Sea.
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