Papers

61,005 results
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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

Microplastic intake in epi- and mesopelagic fish and squid species from an oceanic environment (NE Atlantic)

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in epi- and mesopelagic fish and squid species from the open NE Atlantic Ocean, documenting contamination in oceanic species that may confuse microplastics with similarly sized and colored planktonic prey.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

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 Antarctic fishes: Abundance, size, shape, and polymer composition

Researchers examined four species of Antarctic fish and found microplastics in all of them, with fibers being the most common shape and polypropylene, polyamide, and polyethylene the most common types. Even in one of the most remote regions on Earth, fish are ingesting plastic particles that come from common household materials. This study demonstrates that microplastic contamination has reached every corner of the planet's oceans.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 31 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

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

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

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

Microplastics in offshore fish from the Agulhas Bank, South Africa

Researchers found microplastics in all seven commercially targeted fish species (N=105) sampled from the Agulhas Bank offshore of South Africa, with 86.67% of individual fish containing MPs at abundances of 2.8-4.6 items per fish. Fibers (95.14%) in black (38.11%) were the dominant morphology, and no relationship was found between MP concentration and distance from shore, representing the first record of offshore MP contamination in southern African fish.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Does the microplastics ingestion patterns and polymer composition vary across the oceanic zones? A case study from the Indian coast

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in 27 species of deep-sea fish from the Central Indian Ocean and found contamination in 19 of them, with PET being the most common polymer. The study suggests that feeding behavior, rather than habitat depth or trophic level, is the primary factor influencing how much microplastic deep-sea fish ingest, and proposes these fish could serve as indicators for monitoring deep-sea plastic pollution.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic prevalence in marine fish from onshore Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

Researchers examined 271 fish across 32 species from the Beibu Gulf and found microplastics in the majority of samples, with fibers being the most common type and abundance varying by species, feeding habits, and habitat.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in large migratory fishes collected in the open Atlantic Ocean

Researchers found microplastic contamination in large migratory fish collected during a circumnavigation of the Atlantic Ocean, with all seven commercially important species containing microplastics predominantly as fibers in their gastrointestinal tracts.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in the stomachs of open-ocean and deep-sea fishes of the North-East Atlantic

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in the stomachs of 390 fish from three pelagic and two deep-sea species in the North-East Atlantic, comparing plastic ingestion between fish occupying contrasting ocean compartments. The study documented microplastic presence across species at different depths, highlighting how plastic contamination extends throughout the oceanic water column.

2020 Environmental Pollution 116 citations
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

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

Widespread microplastic ingestion in Colombian Caribbean marine fish: Trophic influence, spatial-temporal trends, and polymer composition

Researchers examined three commercially important fish species from the Colombian Caribbean and found microplastics in over 82% of individuals across both continental and island waters. Fiber and fragment shapes were the most common types, with higher concentrations found in coastal areas and during the wet season. The findings suggest that microplastic ingestion is widespread among Caribbean fish, with potential implications for seafood consumers in the region.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening for microplastics in marine fish of Thailand: the accumulation of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of different foraging preferences

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in 492 marine fish (361 demersal and 131 pelagic) from Thailand, finding no significant difference in uptake between the two foraging types, with polyamide fibers dominating in both groups. FT-IR analysis confirmed polyamide as the most common polymer and red-colored fibers as the most abundant morphology, providing the first such characterization for Thai marine fish.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 92 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

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

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

Microplastic occurrence in 21 coastal marine fish species from fishing communities on Viti Levu, Fiji

Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in 184 fish from 21 species across three coastal communities in Fiji and found microplastics in 74% of fish examined. Fibers were the most common particle type at 66%, with polyethylene and polypropylene the dominant polymers. This dataset, the largest of its kind for Fiji, establishes a critical baseline for monitoring plastic pollution in the region's coastal fishing grounds.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 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

Assessing the bioaccumulation of microplastics in commercially important fish species

Researchers assessed microplastic accumulation in commercially important fish species from coastal and offshore waters, finding significant differences between species based on feeding strategies and habitat depth. Filter feeders and omnivorous species accumulated more microplastics than others, reflecting diet-based differences across trophic levels. The study raises concerns about human dietary exposure to microplastics through widely consumed seafood products.

2025 International Journal of Aquatic Research and Environmental Studies 1 citations