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Plastic debris contamination in Grey-eel catfish (Plotosus canius) in Tanjungpinang water, Riau Islands-Indonesia
Summary
Researchers found mesoplastic and microplastic particles in both the marine water and digestive tracts of grey-eel catfish (Plotosus canius) collected in Indonesian coastal waters. The study confirms that plastic contamination has reached an endemic coastal fish species, raising concerns about exposure through local seafood consumption.
Mesoplastic (5 mm-2 cm) and microplastic (50 um -5 mm) are the plastic particles size which have been ubiquitously founded in the marine environment. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of those plastics in marine water and also in the digestive tracts of Grey-eel catfish (Plotosus canius), an endemic species in the region. A neuston net called CetoRhiNet was used for sampling, towed as far as 1 nautical mile at the speed of 1 knot. P. canius digestive tracts were soaked H2O2,and the microplastics were separated using using ZnCl2 based on their density prior for analysisunder a light microscope. The results showed the amount of mesoplastic from Tanjungpinang water from 3 stations i.e. Sei Jang, Teluk Keriting and Pelantar KUD were 4.98 piece/m3, 4.13 piece/m3 and 6.87 piece/m3 respectively. Concerning microplastics in P. canius, 14 of 15 fish were contaminated with plastic in the tail. Based on the selectivity index calculation, P. canius has no preference on plastics when ingested their feed. Our finding suggested that plastic particles enter accidentally via natural feed because plastic waste particles are scattered throughout Tanjungpinang waters.