Ingestion of plastic by fish: A comparison of Thames Estuary and Firth of Clyde populations

Alexandra R. McGoran, Phillip R Cowie, Paul F Clark, James McEvoy, David Morritt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

100 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study compared plastic ingestion between pelagic and benthic fish populations from two UK watersheds: the Thames Estuary and the Firth of Clyde. The alimentary canals of 876 individuals were examined. Of twenty-one estuarine species investigated, fourteen ingested plastics, including predator (fish) and prey (shrimp) species. Overall, 32% of organisms ingested plastic, mostly fibres (88% of total plastics). More flatfish (38%) ingested plastics than other benthic species (17%). In the Thames, more plastic was ingested by pelagic species (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 3.2) and flatfish (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 2.9) than by shrimp (average number of plastic pieces ingested: 1). More fish from the Clyde ingested plastic than similar Thames species (39% compared to 28% respectively); however, the average amount of plastic ingested did not differ between the sites.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-23
Number of pages12
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume137
Early online date4 Oct 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2018

Cite this