Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Well-Being of the Baltic Herring and Bycatch Fish Species from FAO Major Fishing Areas 27 According to Microplastic Pollution

Researchers assessed the well-being of Baltic herring and bycatch species using condition factors and novel gill and gut indices, finding microplastics in all species examined, with contamination rates ranging from 21 to 79 percent. Fish from different basins showed varying condition scores and microplastic burdens, though no consistent negative correlation between microplastic presence and fish health was established. The study provides baseline data for monitoring how microplastic pollution may affect commercially important fish populations in the Baltic Sea.

2025 Animals 1 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
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of microplastic prevalence and abundance in freshwater fish species: the effect of fish species habitat, feeding behavior, and Fulton’s condition factor

A meta-analysis of freshwater fish across 42 studies found an average of 2.35 microplastic items per individual, with 80% of research focused on the gastrointestinal tract and 58% on river environments. Contrary to expectations, microplastic ingestion correlated with fish body physiology (size and weight) rather than feeding behavior or habitat, suggesting physical characteristics determine uptake more than ecological niche.

2024 Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Intake, Its Biotic Drivers, and Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Levels in the Baltic Herring

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion and hydrophobic organic contaminant levels in Baltic herring along the Swedish west coast, finding microplastics in 22.3% of fish with large geographic variability, though no significant correlation was found between microplastic burden and contaminant concentrations in muscle tissue.

2019 Frontiers in Environmental Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by small coastal fish in the northern Baltic Sea, Finland

Researchers found microplastics in 9% of 424 small coastal fish examined in the northern Baltic Sea, with urban Helsinki sites showing the highest prevalence (27.5%), and no relationship found between fish size or species and microplastic ingestion, suggesting coastal urbanization as a key driver.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in seawater and fish acquired from the corresponding fishing zones of the Baltic Sea

Microplastics were detected in 100% of seawater and 61% of fish samples collected from corresponding fishing zones of the Baltic Sea, with mean abundances of 19,984 items/m³ in seawater and 3.3 items per fish. The co-sampling design linking fish MP loads to their water column environment provided direct evidence of aquatic exposure driving tissue contamination.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
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

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

Testing the health status of marine and fresh waters by investigating microplastics in the stomach contents of different fish species

This PhD project investigated microplastic presence in stomach contents of fish from four sites ranging from a commercial port to a lake, characterizing microplastic types and abundances to assess environmental health status across marine, brackish, and freshwater ecosystems.

2025 CINECA IRIS Institutial Research Information System (University of Genoa)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by fish: Body size, condition factor and gut fullness are not related to the amount of plastics consumed

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in commercial cod and saithe collected in Iceland, finding particles in about 20% of cod and 17% of saithe stomachs. No significant relationship was found between microplastic ingestion and fish body size, weight, gut fullness, or condition index.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Microlitter in Fish and Benthic Invertebrates of the NE Baltic Sea: Abundance, Composition and Bioindicators

Researchers characterized microlitter abundance, composition, and bioindicator potential in fish and benthic invertebrates from multiple sites in the NE Baltic Sea, including the Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga, and western Estonia, following HELCOM methodology. Examining 11 fish species and 6 benthic invertebrate species collected during 2019-2020, the study evaluated resident marine fauna as monitors of microplastic contamination.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Impacts 3 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
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
Meta Analysis Tier 1

A meta-analysis of the characterisations of plastic ingested by fish globally

This meta-analysis pools data from global studies to assess what types of plastic fish most commonly ingest, finding that microfibers and small fragments dominate across both freshwater and marine species. These findings are important for human health because widespread plastic ingestion by fish means that microplastics are likely present in much of the seafood consumed around the world.

2022
Article Tier 2

Revealing the capability of the European hake to cope with micro-litter environmental exposure and its inferred potential health impact in the NW Mediterranean Sea

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion by juvenile European hake in the NW Mediterranean Sea, revealing the species' capacity to cope with environmental micro-litter exposure while identifying potential health impacts from anthropogenic particle accumulation in this commercially important fish.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Fish species, habitat, and capture location outweigh fish mass as drivers of microplastic pollution in Canadian Arctic fishes

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in 435 stomachs and gastrointestinal tracts of seven freshwater fish species from the Canadian Arctic. The study found that fish species, habitat type, and capture location were more important drivers of microplastic levels than fish size, with demersal species and those near larger human populations containing significantly more microplastics.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the gastrointestinal tract of fishes: A global systematic review and meta-analysis and meta-regression

Fish globally averaged 2.76 microplastic particles per gastrointestinal tract, with fish from enclosed water bodies (lakes, estuaries) containing 2-4x more than those from open oceans, and fish from low-income economies harboring 5.5x more microplastics than those from high-income economies.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 86 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

The first report on the occurrence of microplastics in commercial fish species and surrounding water from the Baltic Sea (Poland)

Researchers conducted the first comprehensive study of microplastic contamination in both seawater and commercial fish species from the Baltic Sea, collecting surface and water-column samples from multiple sub-regions and examining fish caught as bycatch of Baltic herring, finding microplastics were detected in 100% of fish examined.

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

Microplastic contamination and biological alterations in Atlantic wild fish populations, and human health risks associated to fillet consumption

Researchers found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts, gills, liver, brain, and muscle tissue of wild Atlantic pouting and hake fish, and the contamination was linked to measurable biological changes in the fish. The study also estimated human health risks from eating these fish fillets, developing a new index that combines microplastic intake levels with the hazard level of the specific plastic types found. This work provides a direct link between microplastic pollution in wild fish and potential risks to people who eat seafood regularly.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The first report on the occurrence of microplastics in commercial fish species and surrounding water from the Baltic Sea (Poland)

Researchers conducted the first comprehensive study of microplastic occurrence in commercial fish species and surrounding water from the Polish Baltic Sea, characterizing particle abundance and properties while examining the poorly understood relationship between microplastic concentrations in organisms and their surrounding habitat.

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

Distribution of microplastics in different tissues of major commercial catches in different functional areas of the South Yellow Sea

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution across different tissues of six commercial fish and crustacean species from the South Yellow Sea, finding MPs ubiquitous across species with an average abundance of 5.19 items per individual.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 14 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

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