Microplastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish species from the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean, off the Coast of Ghana
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2020-02-22
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Marine Pollution Bulletin
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
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Guinea, current, plastic, pollution