Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus

Researchers compiled a dataset of microplastics and anthropogenic particles found in the stomach contents of anchovy and sardines in the Gulf of Cadiz (Europe), recording particle characteristics alongside fish biometric data, geographic coordinates, and distances to major river mouths and coastal cities.

2022 DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC))
Article Tier 2

Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus

Researchers examined microplastic and anthropogenic particle contamination in the digestive tracts of European anchovies and sardines from Spanish waters, finding widespread ingestion of synthetic particles in these commercially important fish species.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus

Researchers examined the presence of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) sampled along the continental shelf of Spain, finding bioaccumulation of particles across these commercially important fish species with implications for food web contamination and human health.

2022
Article Tier 2

Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus

Researchers examined the presence of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) sampled along the continental shelf of Spain, finding bioaccumulation of particles across these commercially important fish species with implications for food web contamination and human health.

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

Ingestion of microplastics and natural fibres in Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) and Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758) along the Spanish Mediterranean coast

Microplastics and natural fibers were found in the digestive tracts of European sardines and anchovies collected from 14 stations along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, with microplastics present in about 15% of individuals. The study documents widespread but variable microplastic ingestion in two commercially important small pelagic fish species that are key components of Mediterranean food webs and human diets.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 263 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics occurrence in juveniles of Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

Researchers detected plastics on the external surface and in the gastrointestinal tracts of juvenile sardines and anchovies from the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, with sardines showing higher average counts (0.53 items per fish) than anchovies (0.26 items per fish).

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine litter in stomach content of small pelagic fishes from the Adriatic Sea: sardines (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus)

Researchers examined marine litter and microplastics in the stomach contents of sardines (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) from the Adriatic Sea across seasons in 2013-2014, finding marine litter in over 90% of samples from both species. Ingestion levels were correlated with species, season, and fish biometry, underscoring the widespread contamination of small pelagic fish at the base of Mediterranean food webs.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimation of Microplastic Pollution in Commercial Pelagic Finfish, Sardinella longiceps (Valenciennes 1847) Collected from Thoothukudi District, Gulf of Mannar, Southeast India

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in seawater from fish landing sites and in the guts of Indian oil sardines from the Gulf of Mannar, finding 17.1 particles per gram of fish gut from the more contaminated site and 13.7 from the less contaminated site.

2025 Environment and Ecology
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

Coastal gradients of small microplastics and associated pollutants influenced by estuarine sources

Researchers sampled small microplastics in the Gulf of Cadiz at 5 m depth and found higher densities (130 mg/m3) than most other regions worldwide, with concentrations decreasing from the coastline outward and predominantly composed of polymer fragments between 45 and 193 μm.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 23 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

Occurrence of microplastics in commercial fish from a natural estuarine environment

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of commercial fish caught from a natural estuarine environment and found microplastics in a significant proportion of individuals, documenting both occurrence rates and particle characteristics.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 586 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics by demersal fish from the Spanish Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal contents of demersal fish caught from Spanish Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and found microplastics in a notable proportion, with fiber and fragment types most common, suggesting widespread exposure for bottom-dwelling fish.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 588 citations
Article Tier 2

Baseline survey of micro and mesoplastics in the gastro-intestinal tract of commercial fish from Southeast coast of the Bay of Bengal

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of microplastics and mesoplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of commercially important fish from the southeast coast of the Bay of Bengal, India, documenting contamination rates and particle characteristics to establish reference data for this undersampled region.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics FTIR characterisation and distribution in the water column and digestive tracts of small pelagic fish in the Gulf of Lions

Researchers found microplastics in 93% of water column samples and in 12% of sardines and 11% of anchovies sampled from the Gulf of Lions in the NW Mediterranean Sea, characterizing plastic composition by FTIR and finding similar debris types in both water and fish digestive tracts.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 124 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

Microplastic abundance in three commercial fish from the coast of Lima, Peru

Researchers found microplastics in the stomachs and intestines of three commercially important fish species caught off the coast of Lima, Peru. The results confirm that microplastic ingestion is widespread among fish commonly consumed by humans in South American coastal communities.

2019 Brazilian Journal of Natural Sciences 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and elimination of anthropogenic fibres and microplastic fragments by the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) of the NW Mediterranean Sea

Researchers found that 30–40% of European anchovies in the Ligurian Sea had ingested anthropogenic microparticles, primarily plastic fibers and fragments, with most fish containing only a single particle — suggesting relatively short retention times in the gut. The study found that larger plastic fragments may become trapped in the intestinal lumen, raising concerns about how long plastics and their associated toxins remain in commercially harvested fish.

2020 Marine Biology 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics assessment in Arabian Sea fishes: accumulation, characterization, and method development

Researchers assessed microplastic accumulation in Arabian Sea fish species, developing optimized digestion protocols and characterizing polymer types to trace contamination sources, finding widespread microplastic ingestion across multiple commercially important fish species.

2023 Brazilian Journal of Biology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Energy content of anchovy and sardine using surrogate calorimetry methods

Scientists studied the energy content of anchovy and sardine in the Mediterranean Sea as a way to monitor fish body condition and health. While not directly about microplastics, declining body condition in small pelagic fish may be influenced by microplastic ingestion, which can reduce nutritional intake.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics by commercial fish off the Portuguese coast

Researchers examined the digestive tracts of commercial fish caught off the Portuguese coast and found microplastics — mainly fibers — in a substantial proportion of individuals across multiple species.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 954 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the stomach content of the commercial fish species Scomber colias in the Gulf of Cadiz, SW Europe

Scientists examined the stomachs of 104 Atlantic chub mackerel from the Gulf of Cadiz and found that over 90% contained microplastics, with an average of about 5 particles per fish. Fibers made up 91% of the microplastics found, and the most common polymer was polyamide (nylon). Since this mackerel species is widely consumed by people, the consistent presence of microplastics in their stomachs raises questions about how much plastic is transferred to humans through seafood.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 12 citations
Article Tier 2

An assessment of microplastics in the ecosystem and selected commercially important fishes off Kochi, south eastern Arabian Sea, India

Microplastics were found in coastal waters, sediment, and the guts of five commercially important fish species off Kochi, India, including sardines and mackerel, with polyethylene and polypropylene the dominant polymer types. The study establishes baseline contamination data for the southeastern Arabian Sea and highlights pelagic fish species as vectors of plastic pollution to human consumers.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 160 citations