Journal
POLAR BIOLOGY
Volume 41, Issue 6, Pages 1269-1278Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00300-018-2283-8
Keywords
Polar cod (Boreogadus saida); Microplastic; Arctic; Airborne micro-fibre contamination
Categories
Funding
- Joint Program Initiative (JPI) Oceans PLASTOX (Direct and indirect ecotoxicological impacts of microplastics on marine organisms) project through the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) [ALW-NWO 856.15.001]
- Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs under its Statutory Research Task Nature Environment [WOT-04-009-036]
- NWO [ALW-NWO 866.13.009]
- Helmholtz Alliance ROBEX (Robotic Exploration of Extreme Environments)
- Pollution Observatory of the Helmholtz
- Helmholtz Association Young Investigators Group Iceflux: Ice-ecosystem carbon flux in polar oceans [VH-NG-800]
- Helmholtz research Programme PACES II [AWI-PS80_01, AWI-PS92_01]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
One of the recently recognised stressors in Arctic ecosystems concerns plastic litter. In this study, juvenile polar cod (Boreogadus saida) were investigated for the presence of plastics in their stomachs. Polar cod is considered a key species in the Arctic ecosystem. The fish were collected both directly from underneath the sea ice in the Eurasian Basin and in open waters around Svalbard. We analysed the stomachs of 72 individuals under a stereo microscope. Two stomachs contained non-fibrous microplastic particles. According to A mu FTIR analysis, the particles consisted of epoxy resin and a mix of Kaolin with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Fibrous objects were excluded from this analysis to avoid bias due to contamination with airborne micro-fibres. A systematic investigation of the risk for secondary micro-fibre contamination during analytical procedures showed that precautionary measures in all procedural steps are critical. Based on the two non-fibrous objects found in polar cod stomachs, our results show that ingestion of microplastic particles by this ecologically important fish species is possible. With increasing human activity, plastic ingestion may act as an increasing stressor on polar cod in combination with ocean warming and sea-ice decline in peripheral regions of the Arctic Ocean. To fully assess the significance of this stressor and its spatial and temporal variability, future studies must apply a rigorous approach to avoid secondary pollution.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available