Occurrence and spatial distribution of microplastics in sediment and fish along the Persian Gulf-a case study: Bushehr Province, Iran.

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) contamination in the marine environment is a global threat. The present study is the first to comprehensively investigate the MPs contamination in the marine environment in Bushehr province along the Persian Gulf. For this purpose, 16 stations were selected along the coast and 10 fish samples were collected. The results obtained from MPs in sediment samples indicate the mean abundance of MPs in different sediment samples was 57.19Particles/Kg. The dominant MPs color in sediment samples was black, accounting for 47.54%, followed by white (36.07%). As for MPs in fish, the highest MPs digested in different fish samples were 9. In addition, over 83.3% of MPs observed in fishes were black followed by red and blue (6.67%). Overall, the presence of MPs in fish and sediment can be attributed to improper disposal of industrial effluents; an efficient measurement is required in order to improve the quality of the marine environment.