IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i13p6844-d582397.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Commercial Gilthead Seabream ( Sparus aurata L.) from the Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon as Hotspots of Microplastic Accumulation in the Digestive System

Author

Listed:
  • Javier Bayo

    (Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 44, E-30203 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Dolores Rojo

    (Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 44, E-30203 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Pedro Martínez-Baños

    (C&C MedioAmbiente, E-30204 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Joaquín López-Castellanos

    (Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 44, E-30203 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Sonia Olmos

    (Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 44, E-30203 Cartagena, Spain)

Abstract

This paper presents the results on the presence and characterization of microplastics (MP) in the gastrointestinal tract of gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata L.), a species of commercial interest from the Mar Menor coastal lagoon in Southeast Spain. This is the first time that microplastic ingestion is recorded in any species from this semi-enclosed bay. Stomach and intestine from a total of 17 specimens captured by local fishermen were processed, and microplastic particles and fibers found in all of them were displayed. Overall, 40.32% (279/692) of total isolated microparticles proved to be microplastics; i.e., <5 mm, as identified by FTIR spectroscopy. The average value by fish was 20.11 ± 2.94 MP kg −1 , corresponding to average concentrations of 3912.06 ± 791.24 and 1562.17 ± 402.04 MP by kg stomach and intestine, respectively. Four MP forms were isolated: fiber (71.68%), fragment (21.15%), film (6.81%), and microbead (0.36%), with sizes ranging from 91 µm to 5 mm, an average of 0.83 ± 0.04 mm, and no statistically significant differences between mean sizes in stomach and intestine samples ( F -test = 0.004; p = 0.936). Nine polymer types were detected, although most of fibers remained unidentified because of their small size, the presence of polymer additives, or closely adhered pollutants despite the oxidizing digestion carried out to eliminate organic matter. No significant correlation was found between main biological parameters and ingested microplastics, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene polypropylene (PEP), and polyvinyl (PV) were identified as the most abundant polymers. The average microplastic ingestion in this study area was higher than those reported in most studies within the Mediterranean Sea, and closely related to microplastic pollution in the surrounding area, although with a predominance of fiber form mainly due to fishery activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Javier Bayo & Dolores Rojo & Pedro Martínez-Baños & Joaquín López-Castellanos & Sonia Olmos, 2021. "Commercial Gilthead Seabream ( Sparus aurata L.) from the Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon as Hotspots of Microplastic Accumulation in the Digestive System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6844-:d:582397
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/13/6844/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/13/6844/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lewis T. O. Cheung & Ching Yee Lui & Lincoln Fok, 2018. "Microplastic Contamination of Wild and Captive Flathead Grey Mullet ( Mugil cephalus )," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Claudia Campanale & Ilaria Savino & Iulian Pojar & Carmine Massarelli & Vito Felice Uricchio, 2020. "A Practical Overview of Methodologies for Sampling and Analysis of Microplastics in Riverine Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-28, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chi Chiu Cheang & Yue Ma & Lincoln Fok, 2018. "Occurrence and Composition of Microplastics in the Seabed Sediments of the Coral Communities in Proximity of a Metropolitan Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Jisong Kim & Jinhee Lee & Timothy J. Lee, 2021. "The Sustainable Success and Growth of Social Ventures: Their Internal and External Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Daniela Thomas & Berit Schütze & Wiebke Mareile Heinze & Zacharias Steinmetz, 2020. "Sample Preparation Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Soil—A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-28, October.
    4. Jung-Hwan Kwon & Jin-Woo Kim & Thanh Dat Pham & Abhrajyoti Tarafdar & Soonki Hong & Sa-Ho Chun & Sang-Hwa Lee & Da-Young Kang & Ju-Yang Kim & Su-Bin Kim & Jaehak Jung, 2020. "Microplastics in Food: A Review on Analytical Methods and Challenges," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Claudia Campanale & Daniela Losacco & Mariangela Triozzi & Carmine Massarelli & Vito Felice Uricchio, 2022. "An Overall Perspective for the Study of Emerging Contaminants in Karst Aquifers," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-21, November.
    6. Kyle T. H. Ho & Patrick W. H. Kwok & Stephen S. Y. Chang & Amanda M. Y. Chu, 2023. "Gaps between Attitudes and Behavior in the Use of Disposable Plastic Tableware (DPT) and Factors Influencing Sustainable DPT Consumption: A Study of Hong Kong Undergraduates," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Yulia A. Frank & Egor D. Vorobiev & Danil S. Vorobiev & Andrey A. Trifonov & Dmitry V. Antsiferov & Tina Soliman Hunter & Scott P. Wilson & Vladimir Strezov, 2020. "Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Leonardo Alberghini & Alessandro Truant & Serena Santonicola & Giampaolo Colavita & Valerio Giaccone, 2022. "Microplastics in Fish and Fishery Products and Risks for Human Health: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6844-:d:582397. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.