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Ingestion of plastic by fish: A comparison of Thames Estuary and Firth of Clyde populations.
Summary
Alimentary canals of 876 fish from 21 estuarine species in the Thames Estuary and Firth of Clyde were examined for ingested plastic. Overall 32% of organisms had ingested plastic, with fibers making up 88% of particles, highlighting widespread plastic ingestion across both pelagic and benthic fish in UK coastal waters.
This study compared plastic ingestion between pelagic and benthic fish populations from two UK watersheds: the Thames Estuary and the Firth of Clyde. The alimentary canals of 876 individuals were examined. Of twenty-one estuarine species investigated, fourteen ingested plastics, including predator (fish) and prey (shrimp) species. Overall, 32% of organisms ingested plastic, mostly fibres (88% of total plastics). More flatfish (38%) ingested plastics than other benthic species (17%). In the Thames, more plastic was ingested by pelagic species (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 3.2) and flatfish (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 2.9) than by shrimp (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 1). More fish from the Clyde ingested plastic than similar Thames species (39% compared to 28% respectively); however, the average amount of plastic ingested did not differ between the sites.