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Food-web transfer of microplastics between wild caught fish and crustaceans in East China Sea
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in 11 fish species and 8 crustacean species from the Zhoushan fishing ground in the East China Sea. They found microplastics, predominantly polyester fibers, in both gill and gastrointestinal tissues across nearly all species studied. The results suggest that microplastics may accumulate at higher trophic levels, raising concerns about food-web transfer of plastic pollution in this heavily fished region.
Plastic pollution, including microplastics (MPs), poses a global threat to environmental and human health. Studies on the transference of MPs along marine food webs are limited. In the present study, we investigated MP pollution in 11 wild fish species (193 individuals) and 8 wild crustacean species (136 individuals) captured from the Zhoushan fishing ground, off the East China Sea. The average abundance of MPs found in two main tissues, the gill and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, were 0.77 ± 1.25 and 0.52 ± 0.90 items/individual, respectively. The MPs we found were predominantly fiber-shaped, blue, and composed of polyester polymers. Our results suggest that MP pollution is ubiquitous in the East China Sea. We suggest that MPs are likely aggregated in the higher trophic level fish species throughout the marine food web. Furthermore, we suggest that marine organisms which occupy higher trophic levels might be suitable MP indicator species.
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