TY - JOUR
T1 - Microplastics in fishes of commercial and ecological importance from the Western Arabian Gulf
AU - Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M.
AU - Qurban, Mohammad A.
AU - Panickan, Premlal
AU - Duarte, Carlos M.
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: This research was funded by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia through baseline funding to C.M. Duarte and partly through Dr. Mohammed Qurban Director, Centre for Environment and Water, Research Institute, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia. The authors thank the staff at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for their assistance in acquiring and transporting the fish samples to KAUST. We also thank Mr. Omar El Tall for his assistance with FT-IR and technical support and Mr.Syed Azher, GIS Analyst, CEW, KFUPM for preparing the GIS map of the fishing areas.
PY - 2020/1/19
Y1 - 2020/1/19
N2 - Microplastic particles (MPs) in the gastrointestinal tracts of nine fish species of commercial importance from different habitats (coastal, pelagic, and reef-associated) in the Saudi EEZ of the Arabian Gulf were quantified and classified. A total of eight MPs were retrieved from a total of 140 individual fish examined, with an average of 0.057 ± 0.019 microplastic items per fish (excluding possible plastic fibers). On average, 5.71%, of the fish dissected contained MPs, ranging from 5 to 15% of individual fish examined containing MPs among species (Siganus canaliculatus and Rastrelliger kanagurta, respectively). Ingested plastic consisted primarily of fishing threads (1.04 ± 0.06 mm), followed by fragments (1.16 ± 0.11 mm). It is likely that the fibers, originated from the fisheries, recreational boating, laundry, domestic wastewater, and other human activities, which is also widespread and abundant (found in 58.58% of the fish studied). Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were identified as the most abundant polymers ingested by the fishes. There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the presence of microplastic in fish depending on their habitat. The prevalence of MPs is relatively low compared to those in other regions, despite the massive industrialization of the Saudi Arabian Gulf.
AB - Microplastic particles (MPs) in the gastrointestinal tracts of nine fish species of commercial importance from different habitats (coastal, pelagic, and reef-associated) in the Saudi EEZ of the Arabian Gulf were quantified and classified. A total of eight MPs were retrieved from a total of 140 individual fish examined, with an average of 0.057 ± 0.019 microplastic items per fish (excluding possible plastic fibers). On average, 5.71%, of the fish dissected contained MPs, ranging from 5 to 15% of individual fish examined containing MPs among species (Siganus canaliculatus and Rastrelliger kanagurta, respectively). Ingested plastic consisted primarily of fishing threads (1.04 ± 0.06 mm), followed by fragments (1.16 ± 0.11 mm). It is likely that the fibers, originated from the fisheries, recreational boating, laundry, domestic wastewater, and other human activities, which is also widespread and abundant (found in 58.58% of the fish studied). Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were identified as the most abundant polymers ingested by the fishes. There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the presence of microplastic in fish depending on their habitat. The prevalence of MPs is relatively low compared to those in other regions, despite the massive industrialization of the Saudi Arabian Gulf.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/661550
UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0025326X20300382
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078884197&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110920
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110920
M3 - Article
C2 - 32479293
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 152
SP - 110920
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
ER -
