A meta-analysis of the characterisations of plastic ingested by fish globally
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2022
Abstract
Plastic contamination in the environment is common but the characterisation of plastic ingested by fish in different environments is lacking. Hence, a meta-analysis was conducted to identify the prevalence of plastic ingested by fish globally. Based on a qualitative analysis of plastic size, it was determined that small microplastics (<1 mm) are predominantly ingested by fish globally. Furthermore, our meta-analysis revealed that plastic fibres (70.6%) and fragments (19.3%) were the most prevalent plastic components ingested by fish, while blue (24.2%) and black (18.0%) coloured plastic were the most abundant. Polyethylene (15.7%) and polyester (11.6%) were the most abundant polymers. Mixed-effect models were employed to identify the effects of the moderators (sampling environment, plastic size, digestive organs examined, and sampling continents) on the prevalence of plastic shape, colour, and polymer type. Among the moderators, only the sampling environment and continent contributed to a significant difference between subgroups in plastic shape and polymer type.
Keywords
Microplastic, Shape, Colour, Polymer type
Divisions
advanced,ocean
Funders
First Institute of Oceanography-University of Malaya Joint Center of Marine Science and Technology (FIO-UM JCMST) (IF002-2020),Asian Countries Maritime Cooperation Fund
Publication Title
Toxics
Volume
10
Issue
4
Publisher
MDPI
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND