Preliminary Observation on Microplastic Contamination in the Scombridae Species From Coastal Waters of Pakistan

Abstract

Microplastics are one of the major pollution problems nowadays, have been found in both marine environments and various fish species worldwide. In this study, the presence of microplastics in the digestive systems and the gills of 6 species from the Scombridae family on the coast of Karachi in Pakistan was investigated. A total of 336 fish were examined for the presence of microplastic in gills and the digestive systems. Microplastics were detected in digestive systems and gills in 11.11%-19.51% and 58.62%-85.71% of total individuals, respectively. The number of microplastics varied from 0.19 to 1.12 items.ind^-1 in digestive system and 1.5 to 7.04 items.ind^-1 in gill. Fibre was dominant in both gills (98.67-99.17%) and digestive systems (100%). More extensive and further investigations are needed on microplastic contamination of the biota on the Pakistan coast.

Keywords

• Arabian Sea
• Karachi
• Microplastic
• Pakistan
• Scombridae

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