Prevalence of microplastic contamination in the digestive tract of fishes from mangrove ecosystem in Cispata, Colombian Caribbean.
Plastics in Colombian marine-coastal ecosystems are being fragmented by various environmental factors, generating microplastics (size < 5 mm), an emerging pollutant that is ingested by marine organisms, representing a threat to ecosystems and potentially also to humans. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of microplastic ingestion by fishes from mangrove ecosystems in Cispata, Colombian Caribbean. The digestive tract content of 302 specimens of 22 fish species were analyzed using the KOH digestion method (500 g/5 L), stereoscopic visual identification and infrared spectroscopy. A total of 69 microplastics were found in the digestive tract of 7% of the analyzed fishes. 55% of the ingested microplastics were filaments, 23% fragments, 19% films, and 3% foam. The results of this study raised concerns about microplastic contamination in the marine environments, a threat to the fishery resource and to public health, which requires actions to prevent and reduce its negative effects.
['Garcés-Ordóñez|Ostin|O|', 'Mejía-Esquivia|Kevin Alexander|KA|', 'Sierra-Labastidas|Tatiana|T|', 'Patiño|Albert|A|', 'Blandón|Lina Marcela|LM|', 'Espinosa Díaz|Luisa F|LF|']
D000818:Animals D017691:Caribbean Region D003105:Colombia D017753:Ecosystem D004784:Environmental Monitoring D005399:Fishes D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract D006801:Humans D000080545:Microplastics D010969:Plastics D015995:Prevalence D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Mangrove ecosystem Fishery resource Marine litter Microplastic pollution