DETERMINATION OF MICROPLASTIC IN SELECTED FRESHWATER FISH SPECIES FROM AGRICULTURE FISHPOND IN TANJONG KARANG, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Abstract

As the amount of plastic in the environment continues to rise, one of the most significant environmental challenges that has emerged is the contamination of seafood with microplastics (MPs). This study was conducted in Tanjong Karang, Selangor, in order to investigate the prevalence of MPs, their properties, and the range of variation among them in different species of freshwater fish. Twelve different fish species from a variety of feeding zones were investigated to establish the degree to which MPs consumption rates differed from zone to zone. It was found that MPs were present in the gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) of 29.2% of the fish samples, which is a higher percentage than what has been found in other regions that have been documented. When compared to the other fish species, the Anabas testudineus has the greatest concentration of MPs. Examinations at a microscopic level indicated that the film morphotype and the colour white were predominant among MPs. Fourier Transform Infrared analysis showed that the fish gastrointestinal tract contained high-density polyethene and polypropylene as the predominant polymers. Plastic ingestion in fish may be related to the feeding zones, as indicated by the fact that demersal fish have a greater concentration of MPs compared to benthopelagic and pelagic fish. This finding will help people have a better understanding of which types of freshwater fish and which types of feeding zones contain greater levels of MP contamination.