Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract and gill of bioindicator fish species in the northeastern Mediterranean

Four commercial fish species from the northeastern Mediterranean were examined for microplastic presence in gastrointestinal tracts and gills, with plastics found in all species and fiber being the most common type. The results add to growing evidence that microplastic ingestion is routine for commercially harvested Mediterranean fish.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 73 citations
Article Tier 2

A study on textile microfiber contamination in the gastrointestinal tracts of Merluccius merluccius samples from the Tyrrhenian Sea

Researchers assessed textile microfiber contamination in the gastrointestinal tracts of European hake from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The study found widespread synthetic microfiber ingestion in this commercially important fish species, highlighting the extent to which microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles is entering marine food webs.

2024 Italian Journal of Food Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence in edible fish species (Mullus barbatus and Merluccius merluccius) collected in three different geographical sub-areas of the Mediterranean Sea

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of 229 demersal fish from two Mediterranean species across three geographic sub-areas, finding microplastics in a significant portion of individuals with fibers as the dominant type. The study contributes to growing evidence that microplastic ingestion is widespread in commercially fished Mediterranean species.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 207 citations
Article Tier 2

First record of microplastics ingestion by European hake MERLUCCIUS MERLUCCIUS from the Tyrrhenian Sicilian coast (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Microplastics, specifically black synthetic fibers, were found in the stomachs of 46% of European hake examined from the Tyrrhenian Sea off Sicily. Since hake is a commercially important food fish, this raises concerns about human microplastic exposure through seafood consumption.

2019 Journal of Fish Biology 44 citations
Article Tier 2

High microplastics concentration in liver is negatively associated with condition factor in the Benguela hake Merluccius polli

Researchers quantified microplastics in gills, liver, and muscle of 94 Benguela hake caught commercially off northwest Africa, finding that high liver microplastic concentrations were negatively correlated with fish body condition, suggesting physiological costs of microplastic accumulation.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics and occurrence of parasite association in Mediterranean anchovy and sardine

Scientists quantified microplastic ingestion in European sardines and anchovies from the Northwestern Mediterranean, finding 58–60% occurrence rates and noting that parasite infection was negatively associated with microplastic presence, suggesting shared ecological or physiological factors.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Relationship between biological, ecological parameters and microplastic concentration in Mediterranean fish species

Researchers detected and characterized microplastics in five commercially important Mediterranean fish species -- including Mullus barbatus, Sardina pilchardus, and Trachinus draco -- and analyzed how biological parameters (length, weight) and ecological factors (diet, habitat) influenced microplastic contamination levels across species.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Multispecies Assessment of Anthropogenic Particle Ingestion in a Marine Protected Area

Researchers assessed anthropogenic particle ingestion across 17 fish species and 8 invertebrate species in a Mediterranean marine protected area, finding that ingestion occurred across pelagic, demersal, and benthic habitats. The study used a multispecies ecosystem approach to link particle ingestion rates to trophic guild and habitat type.

2022 Biology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and potential effects of plastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Researchers examined the occurrence and potential effects of plastic ingestion in pelagic and bottom-dwelling fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea, finding plastics in both groups. The study contributed to baseline knowledge of microplastic ingestion rates in commercially important fish species in European seas.

2014 Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Risk into a Three-Link Food Chain Inside European Hake

Researchers demonstrated microplastic trophic transfer through a three-link food chain inside European hake, finding microplastics in northern krill, blue whiting prey fish, and hake stomachs from the Cantabrian Sea, confirming field evidence of bioaccumulation through predator-prey relationships.

2022 Diversity 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic in digestive tracts and gills of cod and herring from the Baltic Sea

Researchers found plastic particles in the digestive tracts and gills of Baltic Sea cod and herring, with ingestion rates and particle types differing between the two species, indicating widespread exposure of commercially important fish to plastic pollution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biological and environmental factors on microplastic ingestion of commercial fish species

Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in commercially important fish species, evaluating how biological and environmental factors influence ingestion rates across 2,222 individual fish. The study assessed gastrointestinal tract contents to determine the extent and patterns of microplastic contamination. The findings suggest that both species-specific biology and environmental conditions play important roles in determining microplastic ingestion levels in commercial fish.

2022 Chemosphere 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by pelagic and benthic fish and diet composition: A case study in the NW Iberian shelf

Researchers found microplastics in 78% of fish examined across four pelagic and benthic species from the NW Iberian shelf, with ingestion rates varying by feeding ecology and habitat depth, and identified predominantly fibers and fragments in gastrointestinal contents following alkaline tissue digestion.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastic Accumulation in Horse Mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) Caught in the Black Sea

Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) caught from Turkish coastal waters were found to contain microplastics in their gastrointestinal tracts, with fibers and fragments the most common types. The study contributes to baseline data on microplastic contamination in commercially important Mediterranean fish species.

2022 Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from central Mediterranean Sea: A potential cause for endocrine disruption

Researchers examined plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel caught in the central Mediterranean, finding plastics in a substantial fraction of fish stomachs and identifying chemicals with known endocrine-disrupting properties in the ingested plastic types, raising concerns for both fish health and seafood safety.

2021 Environmental Pollution 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Researchers examined gastrointestinal tracts of 290 North and Baltic Sea fish and detected plastic in 5.5% of individuals, with pelagic species like herring and mackerel ingesting plastic at three times the rate of bottom-dwelling cod and flounder, and polyethylene making up nearly 40% of identified polymer types.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 618 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic niche influences ingestion of micro- and mesoplastics in pelagic and demersal fish from the Western Mediterranean Sea

Stable isotope analysis of eight Mediterranean fish species found that fish with wider isotopic niches and higher trophic diversity ingested more micro- and mesoplastics, with zooplanktivorous and benthopelagic species ingesting more particles per individual than benthivorous or demersal species.

2023 Environmental Pollution 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of both pelagic and demersal fish species and found microplastics in individuals from both groups, suggesting that microplastic ingestion occurs across fish species regardless of their position in the water column.

2012 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1993 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

This study exposed primary cell cultures from Mediterranean commercial fish — European hake and red mullet — to real marine microlitter collected from coastal waters, finding cytotoxic effects in immune and mucosal tissues. Importantly, both fish species had ingested plastics including HDPE and polypropylene, providing evidence that environmental (not just laboratory) microplastic contamination harms marine food fish.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the presence of macroplastics and microplastics in the stomach content of juvenile bluefin tunas and their diet in the Mediterranean Sea.

Researchers studied the occurrence of both macroplastics and microplastics in the stomach contents of juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea, examining how widespread plastic pollution in one of the world's most contaminated seas affects a commercially and ecologically important large predator.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics by pelagic fish from the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast

Researchers found microplastics in the stomachs of three small pelagic fish species caught along the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast, confirming plastic ingestion in commercially important species in a region where marine litter is predominantly plastic. The study adds to growing evidence of microplastic contamination in North African Atlantic fisheries.

2020 Environmental Pollution 62 citations
Article Tier 2

The influences of spatial-temporal variability and ecological drivers on microplastic in marine fish in Hong Kong

Researchers found that over 57% of marine fish in Hong Kong waters contained microplastics, with higher abundance in fish from more polluted western waters during the wet season, and that omnivorous fish ingested significantly more microplastics than carnivorous fish regardless of collection location or season.

2023 Environmental Pollution 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioindicators for monitoring marine litter ingestion and its impacts on Mediterranean biodiversity

Researchers reviewed existing knowledge of marine litter ingestion impacts on Mediterranean biodiversity and proposed a new integrated monitoring framework using bioindicator species, identifying major knowledge gaps in understudied habitats and sub-regions while outlining a threefold approach to simultaneously measure plastic presence and its sub-lethal effects on organisms.

2017 Environmental Pollution 338 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Marine Waste, Ingestion of Microplastic in the Fish, Impact on Fishing Yield, M’diq, Morocco

Researchers in Morocco evaluated microplastic ingestion in fish and its impact on fishing yield on the northern Mediterranean coast, finding that 10% of sampled fish had ingested microplastics. The study highlights both ecological and economic consequences of microplastic contamination in commercially important fish stocks.

2018 International Journal of Marine Biology and Research 19 citations