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

Abstract

In recent years, microplastics have been widely detected in marine fish and may pose potential risks to fish and human health. Even though microplastic pollution is a critical issue, it represents as yet non-quantified threat for some context in the marine environment. In this study, 271 individuals comprising 32 species of marine fish collected from Beibu Gulf were examined for microplastic prevalence, with an aim to provide data on the abundance, physical classification, and chemical characterization of microplastics in the great bay along South China Sea. The results showed that the occurrence rate of microplastics was 93.7%, and the average abundance of microplastics was 1.02 ± 0.18 items per individual (ranging from 0.03 to 4.00 items per individual). Microplastic accumulation was observed with a great variation in different species, body sizes, living habitats, and feeding habits of marine fishes. The dominant polymers identified by μ-FTIR were polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene. Fibers, smaller sizes (<1 mm), and transparent color were the major characteristics of the detected microplastics, which might be important factors affecting the bioaccumulation. The present study revealed that microplastics in marine fish is a widespread issue in onshore Beibu Gulf.