Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Experimental development of a new protocol for extraction and characterization of microplastics in fish tissues: First observations in commercial species from Adriatic Sea

Researchers developed and tested a new protocol for the extraction and characterization of microplastics from environmental samples, optimizing steps for recovery efficiency and polymer identification accuracy.

2015 Marine Environmental Research 768 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective and easy to use extraction method shows low numbers of microplastics in offshore planktivorous fish from the northern Baltic Sea

Microplastics were found at low levels in planktivorous fish from the northern Baltic Sea using a validated alkaline digestion extraction method. The study demonstrates an efficient, validated protocol for detecting microplastics in fish and provides baseline contamination data for Baltic marine food webs.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Nondestructive Extraction and Identification of Microplastics from Freshwater Sport Fish Stomachs

Researchers developed a nondestructive protocol for extracting and identifying microplastics from freshwater sport fish stomachs containing large amounts of biological material, enabling more accurate counts without damaging the plastics. This method improvement helps ensure that ingested microplastics in fish are not missed or damaged during laboratory processing.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening for microplastics in sediment, water, marine invertebrates and fish: Method development and microplastic accumulation

Researchers developed improved methods for extracting microplastics from biological samples and sediments, using enzymatic digestion that achieved 97% particle recovery without damaging the plastics. When applied to field samples from the North Sea and Swedish coast, they found microplastics in 8 of 9 invertebrate species tested and in 68% of brown trout. Mussel tissue contained roughly a thousand times more microplastic particles per kilogram than surrounding sediment or water.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 539 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods of digestion, isolation and identification of microplastics present in the fish gut content

This study evaluated four digestion methods for isolating microplastics from fish gut contents, finding that a combination of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid was most effective while preserving particle structure. Microplastic particles were found in the digestive tracts of all analyzed fish from Croatian freshwater and marine ecosystems, highlighting the widespread contamination of aquatic food sources.

2023 Repository of Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology University of Zagreb
Article Tier 2

Protocol for extraction and analysis of microplastics in freshwater, sediment, and fish samples

Researchers developed a standardized protocol for extracting and identifying microplastics from freshwater, sediment, and fish digestive system samples, combining chemical digestion, density separation, vacuum filtration, and Raman spectroscopy to enable reliable, reproducible analysis across aquatic sample types.

2025 STAR Protocols 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microlitter measurement in fish Rutilus rutilus from the Slovenian part of the Mura river basin

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of 50 common roach caught from the Slovenian portion of the Mura River basin, conducting the first study of microlitter contamination in Slovenian freshwater fish and characterizing the abundance, morphology, and polymer types of ingested particles.

2022 Acta Biologica Slovenica
Article Tier 2

Sampling, Isolating and Identifying Microplastics Ingested by Fish and Invertebrates *

This methodological review critically evaluated sampling, isolation, and identification techniques for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, identifying common sources of error including contamination during processing, particle loss, and misidentification — and recommending standardized protocols.

2020 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Sampling, isolating and identifying microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates

This study reviewed sampling and identification methods for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, evaluating each approach for accuracy, reproducibility, and applicability to different species and sample types.

2016 Analytical Methods 945 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of microplastic intake in two fish species from different functional feeding groups in Europe's second-largest river

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in two fish species — bleak and round goby — along a 1,716 km transect of the Danube River using standardized sampling protocols. MPs were detected in both species across the entire river length, with contamination levels varying by species and location.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

A high-performance protocol for extraction of microplastics in fish

Researchers developed and tested a high-performance protocol for extracting microplastics from fish tissue, achieving high recovery rates and providing a standardized approach for seafood contamination monitoring.

2016 The Science of The Total Environment 689 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and characterization of microplastic content in the digestive system of riverine fishes

Researchers found microplastics in 93.8% of riverine fish examined, with polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon being the most common polymer types concentrated near urban and industrial areas, and small particles (0.025-1 mm) predominating across species.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of the composition and abundance of microplastics in the digestive tract of fish in the Banjaran River, Banyumas District

Researchers identified and quantified microplastic composition and abundance in digestive tract contents of wild-caught fish from a coastal fishery, documenting ingestion rates, polymer types, and particle morphologies across multiple commercially important species.

2025 Acta Aquatica Aquatic Sciences Journal
Article Tier 2

Comparative study on microplastic abundance in fish organs from marine and freshwater ecosystems of the southern Baltic Sea region: influence of habitat zone and feeding preferences

Researchers found microplastics in 58% of 500 fish specimens examined across Baltic Sea and northern Polish freshwater ecosystems, with carnivorous and benthic species showing the highest contamination levels and blue fibers being the most common particle type across all habitats.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Assessment on Microplastics Contamination in Freshwater Fish: a Case Study of the Ubolratana Reservoir, Thailand

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in freshwater fish from the Ubolratana Reservoir, Thailand, finding that 96.4% of 14 examined species had ingested microplastics, and assessed abundance, size, colour, and shape of particles from stomach and intestinal contents across sampling stations.

2021 International Journal of Geomate 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplasts in Freshwater Fish – Problems and Challenges

This review examines microplastic contamination of freshwater fish, covering ingestion evidence from over 150 species, the mechanisms of accumulation in gastrointestinal and other tissues, potential health impacts, and challenges in standardizing quantification methodologies.

2025 Journal Scientific and Applied Research
Article Tier 2

A systematic study of the microplastic burden in freshwater fishes of south-western Germany - Are we searching at the right scale?

A comprehensive survey of 1,167 freshwater fish from 22 species across 11 rivers and 6 lakes in southwestern Germany found an apparent microplastic prevalence of 18.8%, but particle size analysis revealed that over 95% of particles were likely smaller than the 40 μm detection limit, suggesting true prevalence may reach 100% with an average of ~23 particles per fish. The findings challenge the validity of most existing microplastic surveys in fish, which miss the smallest and most abundant fraction.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 127 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater fish from Central European lowland river (Widawa R., SW Poland)

More than half of gudgeon and roach fish collected from a small Polish river had ingested microplastic-like particles, with no significant difference by sex, feeding behavior, or location relative to a dam. The findings suggest microplastic ingestion by freshwater fish is widespread and not driven by a single local source.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 57 citations
Article Tier 2

VISUAL IDENTIFICATION OF MICROPLASTIC CONTAMINATION IN COMMON BLEAK (Alburnus alburnus, L. 1758) FROM GRUŽA LAKE

Microplastic analysis of gastrointestinal tracts of common bleak (Alburnus alburnus) from Gruža Lake found predominantly blue textile fibers, with blood traces in fish intestines suggesting potential physiological impacts—highlighting the need for FTIR/Raman chemical confirmation after initial visual identification in freshwater fish biomonitoring.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater wild and farmed fish species of Bangladesh

Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination in freshwater wild and farmed fish species across multiple rivers and farms in Bangladesh, comparing contamination levels between wild-caught and aquaculture-raised fish of the same species.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastic in fillet and organs of farmed and wild salmonids- a comparison of methods for detection and quantification

Three analytical methods were compared for detecting microplastics in salmon tissue, and all three found low but measurable concentrations. The study highlights both the promise and limitations of current methods, underscoring the need for standardization to accurately assess how much plastic consumers ingest through farmed and wild salmon.

2020 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo) 9 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

Examining ingested microplastics in fish: Considerations on filter pore size, analysis time, and material costs to design cost-effective projects

Researchers compared two methods for isolating microplastics from fish gastrointestinal tracts using Icelandic capelin, evaluating different filter pore sizes to assess tradeoffs between data quality, analysis time, and material costs for designing cost-effective monitoring projects.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and retention of microplastics in the digestive tracts of fish from the Yellow Sea

Researchers systematically characterized microplastics in 19 fish species from the Yellow Sea coast of China, finding plastic retention in 34% of individual fish sampled, with fibers dominating and significant variation in microplastic load by species and habitat.

2019 Environmental Pollution 138 citations