Microplastic contamination in brown shrimp (Crangon crangon, Linnaeus 1758) from coastal waters of the Southern North Sea and Channel area

This study assessed the capability of Crangon crangon (L.), an ecologically and commercially important crustacean, of consuming plastics as an opportunistic feeder. We therefore determined the microplastic content of shrimp in shallow water habitats of the Channel area and Southern part of the North Sea. Synthetic fibers ranging from 200 mu m up to 1000 gm size were detected in 63% of the assessed shrimp and an average value of 0.68 +/- 0.55 microplastics/g w. w. (1.23 +/- 0.99 microplastics/shrimp) was obtained for shrimp in the sampled area. The assessment revealed no spatial patterns in plastic ingestion, but temporal differences were reported. The microplastic uptake was significantly higher in October compared to March. The results suggest that microplastics >20 mu m are not able to translocate into the tissues. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.