Abstract:
We present data on the occurrence of microplastics in fish from the Guinea current region off Ghana's Coast.
Frequency of occurrence of microplastics in the fish species followed the order: Sardinella maderensis
(41%) > Dentex angolensis > (33%) > Sardinella aurita (26%). Mean numbers of microplastics ingested were
40.0 ± 3.8, 32.0 ± 2.7 and 25.7 ± 1.6 for S. maderensis, D. angolensis and S. aurita respectively. Industrially
produced pellets were the most dominant (31%) microplastic type followed by microbeads (29%), burnt film
plastics (22%) and unidentified fragments (9%). Microfibers (2%), threads (2%) and foams (< 0.1%) were the
least occurring microplastics in the fish species. Condition factors estimated for D. angolensis and S. aurita
were>1 and below 1 for S. maderensis. The findings of the study show the common occurrence of microplastics
in fish stocks and pave the way for future studies on microplastics in this Region