Anthropogenic debris in seafood: Plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2015 papers

Abstract

The ubiquity of anthropogenic debris in hundreds of species of wildlife and the toxicity of chemicals associated with it has begun to raise concerns regarding the presence of anthropogenic debris in seafood. We assessed the presence of anthropogenic debris in fishes and shellfish on sale for human consumption. We sampled from markets in Makassar, Indonesia, and from California, USA. All fish and shellfish were identified to species where possible. Anthropogenic debris was extracted from the digestive tracts of fish and whole shellfish using a 10% KOH solution and quantified under a dissecting microscope. In Indonesia, anthropogenic debris was found in 28% of individual fish and in 55% of all species. Similarly, in the USA, anthropogenic debris was found in 25% of individual fish and in 67% of all species. Anthropogenic debris was also found in 33% of individual shellfish sampled. All of the anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in Indonesia was plastic, whereas anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in the USA was primarily fibers. Variations in debris types likely reflect different sources and waste management strategies between countries. We report some of the first findings of plastic debris in fishes directly sold for human consumption raising concerns regarding human health.

Related Papers

• → Sources, composition and spatial distribution of marine debris along the Mediterranean coast of Israel(2016)106 cited
• → Seabirds and floating plastic debris(2002)119 cited
• → Monitoring Models for Plastic Debris(2010)1 cited
• → Appropriate Unit of Measurement to Quantify the Contamination of Beaches by Synthetic Marine Debris(2011)1 cited
• Assessment of Marine Debris on the Belgian Continental Shelf: occurrence and effects : final report (AS-MADE)(2016)