Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic data from surface waters and in stream-rearing steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a rural coastal California stream

This dataset entry describes microplastic measurements from the water and the gut contents of juvenile steelhead trout in Scott Creek, a rural California coastal stream, providing baseline contamination data for a salmon-bearing watershed with minimal urban influence. Even in relatively pristine, low-traffic streams, microplastics are present and entering fish, suggesting contamination is pervasive in California waterways regardless of urbanization level. The data supports evaluation of ecological risks to native fish species that are already under pressure from other stressors.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) from an Irish riverine system

Microplastic prevalence and characteristics were assessed in brown trout (Salmo trutta) from an Irish riverine system to investigate plastic ingestion in a freshwater salmonid. The study found microplastics in a proportion of sampled fish, adding to the limited literature on microplastic ingestion in freshwater salmonids and highlighting rivers as an exposure pathway for these commercially important fish.

2020 Environmental Pollution 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic data from surface waters and in stream-rearing steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a rural coastal California stream

This is a duplicate dataset entry for the Scott Creek, California steelhead trout microplastics study (same as ID 1861), providing particle count, type, color, and size data from stream water and fish gut contents in a rural coastal watershed. Duplicate entry; the dataset offers baseline contamination data for a salmon-bearing stream in a relatively undisturbed California watershed.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in juvenile Chinook salmon and their nearshore environments on the east coast of Vancouver Island

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in juvenile Chinook salmon and their nearshore marine environments on the east coast of Vancouver Island, finding microplastics present in both fish digestive tracts and surrounding waters and characterizing the types of particles consumed.

2018 Environmental Pollution 94 citations
Article Tier 2

The Influence of Polystyrene Microplastics on Juvenile Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study investigated the effects of polystyrene microplastics on juvenile steelhead trout, a commercially and ecologically important anadromous fish. As top predators, steelhead are at particular risk from microplastic bioaccumulation through their prey, and the review highlights gaps in research compared to smaller model species. Understanding how microplastics affect large predatory fish is critical because these species are widely consumed by humans and play key roles in connecting freshwater and marine ecosystems.

2023
Article Tier 2

The effect of urban point source contamination on microplastic levels in water and organisms in a cold‐water stream

Microplastic concentrations in water, macroinvertebrates, and trout in a Wisconsin stream increased significantly downstream of stormwater outfalls and a wastewater plant. The study demonstrates that point sources of pollution drive measurable increases in microplastic contamination in freshwater food webs.

2019 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 48 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

Characterization and enumeration of microplastic pollution in three fish species of the Upper Mississippi River

Researchers found 891 microplastic particles across 281 fish from three species in the Upper Mississippi River, with fibers being the most common type and smaller fish containing proportionally more microplastics than larger ones. This confirms microplastic ingestion is widespread in freshwater fish — not just marine species — and the presence of styrene-isoprene, polyester, and ABS polymers highlights the diverse plastic sources contaminating major river systems.

2023 Minds at UW (University of Wisconsin)
Article Tier 2

No evidence of spherical microplastics (10–300 μm) translocation in adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after a two-week dietary exposure

Rainbow trout were exposed to spherical microplastics ranging from 10 to 300 micrometers to determine whether particles translocate from the gut into body tissues in adult fish. No evidence of microplastic translocation from the gastrointestinal tract to systemic tissues was found, suggesting that fish gut removal before consumption reduces but may not eliminate human dietary microplastic exposure.

2020 PLoS ONE 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Decreased growth and survival in small juvenile fish, after chronic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastic

Researchers exposed juvenile glassfish to environmentally realistic concentrations of both virgin and harbor-collected microplastics for 95 days, finding that fish in plastic-fed groups grew significantly less in length, depth, and mass, and had lower survival probability than controls.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 189 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic contamination in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and surface water of a high-altitude aquaculture system in the Chehel Chai River, Iran

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in both farmed rainbow trout and the surface water of the Chehel Chai River in Iran, finding microplastics in fish digestive tracts, gills, and skin. A total of 50 fish were analyzed, revealing widespread presence of plastic particles across all tissue types examined. The study raises concerns about microplastic transfer to humans through consumption of farmed fish from contaminated waterways.

2026 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

Consumption of microplastic polyethylene terephthalate by juvenile salmon Oncorhynchus (Parasalmo) mykiss under artificial conditions

Researchers studied the effect of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics on juvenile Kamchatka steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) under laboratory conditions, distributing 30 fish across control and treatment aquariums to assess ingestion and physiological impacts.

2025 Problems of fisheries
Article Tier 2

Evidence for the ‘growth-dilution’ of microplastics and microfibers in urban stream fish populations

Researchers assessed microplastic and microfiber accumulation in benthic macroinvertebrates and fish across five reaches of a polluted urban stream, finding evidence for a 'growth-dilution' effect in fish where increasing body size was associated with lower microplastic concentrations per unit tissue. The study estimated plastic quantities in prey resources and traced accumulation patterns through the stream food web.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Effects of a microplastic exposure gradient on juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Researchers exposed newly hatched lake trout to a gradient of three microplastic types over 12 weeks, assessing growth, survival, and physiological biomarkers. Microplastic exposure caused dose-dependent effects on early life stage fish, with polymer type influencing the pattern of harm.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Microplastics pollution in freshwater fishes in the South of Italy: Characterization, distribution, and correlation with environmental pollutants

Researchers investigated the presence, abundance, and polymer composition of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of freshwater fish from rivers in southern Italy, and evaluated correlations between microplastic ingestion and environmental pollutant levels. They found microplastics in multiple fish species, with fiber morphologies predominating, and identified associations between microplastic burden and co-occurring chemical contaminants in the sampled environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 19 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

Natural history matters: Plastics in estuarine fish and sediments at the mouth of an urban watershed

Estuarine sediments in an urban California creek contained about 10,000 microplastic pieces per square meter, dominated by fibers, and nearly 25% of fish collected contained plastics, with species-specific ingestion patterns reflecting different natural histories. The study also found multiple semivolatile organic compounds in fish tissue, suggesting plastic ingestion co-occurs with chemical contamination in urban estuaries.

2020 PLoS ONE 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of a microplastic exposure gradient on juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Researchers exposed newly hatched lake trout for 12 weeks to three types of microplastics, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate, at a gradient of concentrations to assess effects on early life stages of this important sportfish. Microplastic exposure caused growth and developmental effects in juvenile lake trout, with responses varying by polymer type and concentration.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear 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

Microplastic characterization in small freshwater fishes collected in Gyeongan-cheon, a tributary stream of Han River in South Korea: Ingestion and depuration study of Nylon

Researchers characterized microplastic distribution in freshwater fishes from Gyeongan-cheon, a Han River tributary in South Korea, finding 34-284 particles per individual with fibers and fragments predominating, and conducted nylon ingestion and depuration experiments to assess clearance rates.

2024 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and tire wear particle occurrence in fishes from an urban estuary: Influence of feeding characteristics on exposure risk

Researchers surveyed microplastics in the digestive tracts of five fish species from an urban estuary and found plastic particles in 99% of specimens, averaging 27 particles per fish. Atlantic Menhaden had the highest contamination relative to body weight, likely due to their habit of ingesting marine snow aggregates. The study also found suspected tire wear particles in 14% of individual fish, providing the first evidence of tire particle consumption in field-collected organisms.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 123 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

Microplastic loads within riverine fishes and macroinvertebrates are not predictable from ecological or morphological characteristics

Researchers measured microplastic loads in riverine fish and macroinvertebrates and found that particle counts were not reliably predicted by species ecology or morphology, suggesting that individual variation and local environmental factors play a larger role in microplastic ingestion than feeding guild or habitat alone.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations