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Quantification of microplastic ingestion in Scomber colias (Gmelin,1789) along the Mediterranean coast
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Researchers examined the stomach contents of 63 Atlantic chub mackerel caught at five Spanish Mediterranean coastal sites. Microplastics, mostly fragments, were found in 22% of fish, with the highest amounts in fish from Barcelona and the lowest in Granada.
Pollution by microplastics in the ocean is a topic that nowadays is receiving more \nattention from the scientific community. The effects and the implications that \nmicroplastic pollution has on marine organisms have already been reported throughout \nthe world. \nIn the present study was quantified the amount of microplastic litter found in the \ngastrointestinal contents of a commercial species (Scomber colias) from the \nMediterranean Sea. From the total number of sampled fish (63) microplastic ingestion \nwas identified in 14 individuals (22.22%). A total of 20 microplastics items were \nidentified in the Scomber colias using stereomicroscope techniques. \nSamples were obtained from five different locations along the Mediterranean coast of \nSpain; Gerona, Barcelona, Denia, Almería and Granada (Motril). The station that \npresented species with higher values of microplastic intake was Barcelona with a \npercentage of occurrence of 42.9% and a mean of 0.71(±0.42) microplastic per fish, \nfollowed by Gerona with 28.6% of occurrence and a mean of 0.5(±0.25) microplastic per \nfish. Denia and Almeria had 21.4% of occurrence of intake and a mean value of \n0.21(±0.11) and 0.29(±0.16) microplastic per fish respectively. The lowest value was \ndetermined in Granada with a 7.1% of occurrence and a mean of 0.07(±0.07) microplastic \nper fish. The highest intake values corresponded to the localities that had larger \nindividuals. The 64.3% of the microplastics identified were of fragment type, and 21.4% \nwere filaments. Finally, in less proportion some granules and films were identified and \nalmost all the microplastics found were blue or black. \nThis study provides new data according to ingestion values on a commercial species in \nthe Mediterranean region, remarking the existing problem and associated impacts which \nmicroplastic litter have on marine environment and organisms.
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