Assessment tools for microplastics and natural fibres ingested by fish in an urbanised estuary,

Environmental Pollution,
Volume 234,
2018,
Pages 552-561,
ISSN 0269-7491,

Abstract:
Microplastics and fibres occur in high concentrations along urban coastlines, but the occurrence of microplastic ingestion by fishes in these areas requires further investigation. Herein, the ingestion of debris (i.e., synthetic and natural fibres and synthetic fragments of various polymer types) by three benthic-foraging fish species
Acanthopagrus australis (yellowfin bream), Mugil cephalus (sea mullet) and Gerres subfasciatus (silverbiddy) in Sydney Harbour, Australia has been quantified and chemically speciated by vibrational spectroscopy to
identify the polymer type.
Ingested debris were quantified using gut content analysis, and identified using attenuated total reflectance
Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopies in combination with principal component analysis (PCA).
The occurrence of debris ingestion at the time of sampling ranged from 21 to 64% for the three species, and the debris number ranged from 0.2 to 4.6 items per fish for the different species, with ∼53% of debris being microplastic.

There was a significant difference in the amount of debris ingested among species; however, there was no difference among species when debris counts were standardised to fish weight or gut content weight, indicating that these species ingest a similar concentration of debris relative to their ingestion rate of other material.
ATR-FTIR microspectroscopy successfully identified 72% of debris. Raman spectroscopy contributed an additional 1% of successful identification. In addition, PCA was used to non-subjectively classify the ATR-FTIR spectra resulting in the identification of an additional 9% of the debris.
The most common microplastics found were polyester (PET), acrylic-polyester blend, and rayon (semi-synthetic) fibres. The potential of using Raman microspectroscopy for debris identification was investigated and provided additional information about the nature of the debris as well as the presence of specific dyes (and hence potential
toxicity).

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AaoklgcSs8IAm6fes9DJmky6e2jMH2qL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.085.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117320456)

The post Assessment tools for microplastics and natural fibres ingested by fish in an urbanised estuary appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Weathering impacts the uptake of polyethylene microparticles from toothpaste in Mediterranean
mussels (M. galloprovincialis),

Science of The Total Environment,
Volume 626,
2018,
Pages 1310-1318,
ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed over 21 days to polyethylene (PE) particles (0.01 mg ml−1; 50–570 μm) isolated from toothpaste. PE was deployed in the Outer Oslofjord (Norway) for 21 days, before exposing the mussels to both virgin (PE-V) and weathered PE (PE-W) particles. The mussels ingested both types of particles, but significantly more weathered particles were ingested than virgin (p = .0317), based on PE dosed by weight (mg ml−1) but not when considering particle number
(PE-V: 1.18 ± 0.16 particles ml−1; PE-W1.86 ± 0.66 particles ml-1;). PE particle ingestion resulted in structural changes to the gills and digestive gland, as well as necrosis in other tissues such as the mantle. No differences were found regarding the degree of tissue alteration between PE-virgin and PE-weathered exposures. This current study illustrates the importance of using weathered particles in microplastic exposure studies to reflect the behaviour of plastic particles after entering the marine environment. The observed tissue alterations demonstrate the potential adverse effects to mussels exposed to microplastic particles.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718301633/pdfft?md5=50bab9235c550252cfa477b9769292e8&pid=1-s2.0-S0048969718301633-main.pdf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gGRYerId22NhnRyk5hSEVbH19loBWFUQ
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.141.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718301633)

The post Weathering impacts the uptake of polyethylene microparticles from toothpaste in Mediterranean mussels (M. galloprovincialis) appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea,

Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 6-7, ISSN 0025-326X,

Abstract:

The ingestion of plastic debris by marine organisms has been documented
across a variety of taxa including; marine mammals, sea birds, sea
turtles and some fish species. Fewer reports have described ingestion by
sharks, in this study the gastrointestinal tracts of 20 small spotted
catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) trawl captured in the North Sea were
investigated. Macroplastics (>20 mm) were found in 2 individuals and
microplastic (<5 mm) was found in one other individual, this is the
first time that plastic ingestion has been reported in this species.
These observations suggest that gastrointestinal analysis of commonly
landed elasmobranch species is worthwhile, to further understanding on
the organisms and habitats impacted by plastic pollution.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wJe0Z3VIUsV5iuFD5mdunWu_K8_YPfUH

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X18301462)

The post Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea

Marine Pollution Bulletin,
Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 6-7, ISSN 0025-326X

Abstract:

The ingestion of plastic debris by marine organisms has been documented across a variety of taxa including; marine mammals, sea birds, sea
turtles and some fish species. Fewer reports have described ingestion by sharks, in this study the gastrointestinal tracts of 20 small spotted
catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) trawl captured in the North Sea were investigated.

Macroplastics (>20 mm) were found in 2 individuals and microplastic (<5 mm) was found in one other individual, this is the
first time that plastic ingestion has been reported in this species.
These observations suggest that gastrointestinal analysis of commonly landed elasmobranch species is worthwhile, to further understanding on the organisms and habitats impacted by plastic pollution.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X18301462)

The post Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

The post Evaluating the impacts of marine debris on cetaceans appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..