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Microplastics in gut contents of coastal freshwater fish from Río de la Plata estuary
Summary
Microplastics were found in 100% of gut contents sampled from coastal freshwater fish in the Rio de la Plata estuary in South America, with fibers making up nearly all of the plastic found. Contamination was highest near sewage outfalls, linking microplastic ingestion directly to inadequate wastewater treatment.
The presence of microplastics (MPs) in gut contents of coastal freshwater fish of the Rio de la Plata estuary was studied. Samples were taken in six sites where 87 fish belonging to 11 species and four feeding habits were captured. Presence of MPs was verified in the 100% of fish. The fibres represented the 96% of MPs found. The number of MPs in gut contents was significantly higher close to sewage discharge. There was not found relationship between number of MPs and fish length, weight or feeding habit. The spatial differences in mean number of MPs in fish observed in this study, suggest that environmental availability of MPs could be of great importance to explain the differences found among sampling sites analysed. This work represents the first study about the interaction between MPs and aquatic organisms in this important estuarine ecosystem of South America.