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Appraisal of Microplastic Ingestion in Deep-Pelagic Fishes and Crustaceans in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida
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This study assessed microplastic ingestion by deep-pelagic fishes and crustaceans in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida, filling a geographic gap in knowledge about plastic contamination in deep-sea food webs. The findings show that even deepwater species in this commercially important fishing region are ingesting microplastics.
Plastic litter infiltrates aquatic ecosystems globally, the majority of which are microplastics (millimeter). These microplastics have been detected in high concentrations on marine shorelines, surface water of the pelagic realm, deep-sea sediments, and food webs. Prior studies on plastic contamination have examined pelagic and benthic deep-sea ecosystems, yet only one previous study took place in the Gulf of Mexico, home to many commercially important fishery species. That study documented anthropogenic litter in the benthic realm of the Gulf of Mexico, and there remains a gap in knowledge on plastic ingestion by micronekton (water column dwellers) in spite of their importance as major prey items for commercially fished species. The digestive tract of a number of these fish and crustacean prey species, collected in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida, were analyzed in the present study. Our results show that microplastics have entered deep-sea (meters) food webs in this ecosystem. Our data reveal that out of 591 individuals (287 fishes and 304 crustaceans) from the Straits of Florida and Gulf of Mexico, 27% (162/591 individuals) contained plastic in their digestive tracts. Out of 204 plastic particles found, crustaceans consumed 116 microplastics (78% fibers; 16% fragments; 6% films) while fishes consumed 88 (46% fibers; 41% fragments; 7% films; 6% microbeads). This study is the first one indicating that plastics have infiltrated the food webs of Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, suggesting that more scrutiny be given to deep-sea ecosystems globally.
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Microplastic ingestion by deep‐pelagic crustaceans and fishes
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Among 557 individual deep-pelagic crustaceans and fishes from the Gulf of Mexico, 29% of crustaceans and 26% of fishes had ingested microplastics, with ingestion rates in non-migratory fishes increasing with depth and reaching 40% at 1200-1500 m, suggesting plastic accumulates at greater ocean depths.
Microplastic in the stomachs of open-ocean and deep-sea fishes of the North-East Atlantic
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Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in the stomachs of 390 fish from three pelagic and two deep-sea species in the North-East Atlantic, comparing plastic ingestion between fish occupying contrasting ocean compartments. The study documented microplastic presence across species at different depths, highlighting how plastic contamination extends throughout the oceanic water column.
Frequency of Microplastics in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Northwest Atlantic
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Microplastics were found in the stomachs of mesopelagic fish collected from the Northwest Atlantic, with ingestion rates and particle types varying by species and depth. The study expands the known distribution of microplastic ingestion into deep-water fish communities, suggesting that plastic contamination has penetrated even mid-water food webs far from the surface.
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Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in 27 species of deep-sea fish from the Central Indian Ocean and found contamination in 19 of them, with PET being the most common polymer. The study suggests that feeding behavior, rather than habitat depth or trophic level, is the primary factor influencing how much microplastic deep-sea fish ingest, and proposes these fish could serve as indicators for monitoring deep-sea plastic pollution.
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Scientists examined the digestive tracts of deep-sea mesopelagic fish from the remote South Atlantic and found microplastics in their intestines. The presence of plastic in fish at depths down to 1,000 meters in one of the most isolated ocean regions confirms that microplastic contamination has reached even the deep ocean.
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