Selden Kennadie R, Baker Matthew R
University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories, San Juan Islands, WA, USA.
University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories, San Juan Islands, WA, USA; University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Dec;197:115748. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115748. Epub 2023 Nov 15.
Microplastics are increasingly prevalent in marine systems and are a growing concern as a marine pollutant and contaminant with consequences for high trophic level consumers, including humans. Given evidence that links plastics to degraded ecosystem functioning and organismal health, there is increased interest in understanding the prevalence, fate and consequences of marine plastics. Microplastics contain and absorb harmful chemicals which may serve as endocrine disruptors and have negative implications for growth, reproductive health, and longevity. To expand current knowledge on microplastics in coastal marine ecosystems and the potential for biomagnification in marine food webs, we conducted stomach analyses of microplastics in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), an important prey for salmon. Prevalence of microplastics was substantial; 77 % of all salmon and 25 % of all sand lance stomachs contained at least one microplastic. Fish were sampled at multiple sites throughout the inland Salish Sea, including beaches and sediment bedforms for Pacific sand lance and open-water pelagic habitat for Pacific salmon. Pacific sand lance sampled at beach sites had more microplastics compared to those sampled in subtidal sediments and there were more plastics in sand lance at a protected beach site as compared to an exposed beach site. Prevalence of plastics in salmon differed according to species and included analyses of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch); plastics were predominantly fibers in all species, though there were relatively higher rates of ingestion of films and particles in Chinook. Comparisons between plastic concentrations and stomach fullness indicated a slight negative trend, suggesting that plastics may be retained. Further investigation is needed to develop a more thorough understanding of the prevalence and fate of microplastics in coastal marine systems such as the Salish Sea, their concentration within marine food webs, and the implications for species targeted in fisheries.
微塑料在海洋系统中日益普遍，作为一种海洋污染物和污染物，其影响着包括人类在内的高营养级消费者，因而愈发令人担忧。鉴于有证据表明塑料与生态系统功能退化和生物体健康存在关联，人们对了解海洋塑料的普遍程度、归宿及影响的兴趣与日俱增。微塑料含有并吸附有害化学物质，这些物质可能充当内分泌干扰物，对生长、生殖健康和寿命产生负面影响。为了拓展当前关于沿海海洋生态系统中微塑料以及海洋食物网中生物放大作用潜力的知识，我们对太平洋鲑鱼（Oncorhynchus spp.）和太平洋沙鳗（Ammodytes personatus，鲑鱼的一种重要猎物）的胃部进行了微塑料分析。微塑料的普遍程度相当高；所有鲑鱼中有77%、所有沙鳗中有25%的胃部至少含有一个微塑料。我们在整个内陆萨利希海的多个地点采集了鱼类样本，包括太平洋沙鳗的海滩和沉积地貌样本，以及太平洋鲑鱼的开阔水域中上层栖息地样本。与在潮下带沉积物中采集的太平洋沙鳗相比，在海滩地点采集的太平洋沙鳗体内的微塑料更多，而且在一个受保护的海滩地点采集的沙鳗体内的塑料比在一个暴露海滩地点采集的更多。鲑鱼体内塑料的普遍程度因物种而异，其中包括对驼背鲑（Oncorhynchus gorbuscha）、奇努克鲑（Oncorhynchus tshawytscha）和银鲑（Oncorhynchus kisutch）的分析；在所有物种中，塑料主要为纤维，不过奇努克鲑摄入薄膜和颗粒的比例相对较高。塑料浓度与胃部饱满度之间的比较显示出轻微的负相关趋势，这表明塑料可能会留存。需要进一步开展调查，以便更全面地了解萨利希海等沿海海洋系统中微塑料的普遍程度和归宿、它们在海洋食物网中的浓度，以及对渔业目标物种的影响。
