A Preliminary Study of Microplastics Ingestion by Some Fish Species Collected from the Coast of Benghazi, Libya, Southern Mediterranean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59743/jmset.v12i1.186Keywords:
Benghazi coast, Microplastic, Contamination, Microplastics ingestion, Gastrointestinal tract, Libyan marine fishAbstract
Microplastic pollution is widespread across the globe. Their concentrations have increased, and these substances have accumulated in aquatic environments for years, inducing numerous physiological abnormalities in living organisms, including fish. The present study examined microplastics in the guts of two fish species (Serranus scriba and Lithognathus mormyrus) along the coast of Benghazi (southern Mediterranean), Libya. It was observed that both fish species (n=36) ingested 101 MPs in total. The highest contamination was found in Serranus scriba (3.94 MP/individual). A total of 1.90 MP/individual was registered for Lithognathus mormyrus specimens. Fibers were the most common microplastic type in Serranus scriba (37; 58%), while fragments were the most prevalent in Lithognathus mormyrus (11, 28%). This experimental study was the first to present data on various microplastic polymers in Libyan fishes.
Downloads
References
Akhbarizadeh, R., Moore, F., & Keshavarzi, B. (2018). Investigating a probable relationship between microplastics and potentially toxic elements in fish muscles from northeast of Persian Gulf. Environmental Pollution, 232, 154-163. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.028
Arthur, C., & Baker, J. (2012). Proceedings of the second research workshop on microplastic debris. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-39. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/73619
Barboza, L. G. A., Vethaak, A. D., Lavorante, B. R., Lundebye, A. K., & Guilhermino, L. (2018). Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 133, 336-348. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.05.047
Bergmann, M., Gutow, L., & Klages, M. (2015). Marine anthropogenic litter. Springer Nature. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3
Dehaut, A., Cassone, A.-L., Frère, L., Hermabessiere, L., Himber, C., Rinnert, E., ... & Paul-Pont, I. (2016). Microplastics in seafood: Benchmark protocol for their extraction and characterization. Environmental Pollution, 215, 223-233. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.018
De-La-Torre, G. E., & Laura, R. P. (2019). Composición, características físicas y generación per cápita de los residuos sólidos en la playa Las Sombrillas, Lima. Manglar Revista de Investigación Científica, 16(1), 39-44. DOI: 10.17268/manglar.2019.006
Fossi, M. C., Pedà, C., Compa, M., Tsangaris, C., Alomar, C., Claro, F., ... & Baini, M. (2018). Bioindicators for monitoring marine litter ingestion and its impacts on Mediterranean biodiversity. Environmental Pollution, 237, 1023-1040. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.019
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., ... & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771. DOI: 10.1126/science.1260352
Kim, J. S., Lee, H. J., Kim, S. K., & Kim, H. J. (2018). Global pattern of microplastics (MPs) in commercial food-grade salts: sea salt as an indicator of seawater MP pollution. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(21), 12819-12828. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b04180
Lim, X. (2021). Microplastics are everywhere—but are they harmful. Nature, 593(7857), 22-25. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-01143-3
Nelms, S. E., Galloway, T. S., Godley, B. J., Jarvis, D. S., & Lindeque, P. K. (2018). Investigating microplastic trophic transfer in marine top predators. Environmental Pollution, 238, 999-1007. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.016
OECD (2020). Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. DOI: 10.1787/aa1edf33-en
Roch, S., Friedrich, C., & Brinker, A. (2020). Uptake routes of microplastics in fishes: practical and theoretical approaches to test existing theories. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 3896. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60630-1
Sayed, A. E. D. H., Hamed, M., Badrey, A. E., Ismail, R. F., Osman, Y. A., Osman, A. G., & Soliman, H. A. (2021). Microplastic distribution, abundance, and composition in the sediments, water, and fishes of the Red and Mediterranean seas, Egypt. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 173, 112966. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112966
Seltenrich, N. (2015). New link in the food chain? Marine plastic pollution and seafood safety. Environmental health perspectives, 124(7), A123. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.123-A34
Turhan, D. Ö. (2021). Evaluation of microplastics in the surface water, sediment and fish of Sürgü Dam Reservoir (Malatya) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 22(SI), TRJFAS20157. DOI: 10.4194/TRJFAS20157
Wang, J., Peng, J., Tan, Z., Gao, Y., Zhan, Z., Chen, Q., & Cai, L. (2017). Microplastics in the surface sediments from the Beijiang River littoral zone: Composition, abundance, surface textures and interaction with heavy metals. Chemosphere, 171, 248-258. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.12.074
Wright, S. L., & Kelly, F. J. (2017). Plastic and human health: a micro issue?. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(12), 6634-6647. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b00423
Zeng, E. Y. (Ed.) (2018) Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments: An Emerging Matter of Environmental Urgency. Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/C2016-0-04784-8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mona M. Said, Laila A. Ibrahim, Marwa M. Elamami
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
