title: Amberstripe scad Decapterus muroadsi (Carangidae) fish ingest blue microplastics resembling their copepod prey along the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the South Pacific subtropical gyre.
abstract: An increasing number of studies have described the presence of microplastics (≤5mm) in many different fish species, raising ecological concerns. The factors influencing the ingestion of microplastics by fish remain unclear despite their importance to a better understanding of the routes of microplastics through marine food webs. Here, we compare microplastics and planktonic organisms in surface waters and as food items of 20 Amberstripe scads (Decapterus muroadsi) captured along the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to assess the hypothesis that fish ingest microplastics resembling their natural prey. Sixteen (80%) of the scad had ingested one to five microplastics, mainly blue polyethylene fragments that were similar in colour and size to blue copepod species consumed by the same fish. These results suggest that planktivorous fish, as a consequence of their feeding behaviour as visual predators, are directly exposed to floating microplastics. This threat may be exacerbated in the clear oceanic waters of the subtropical gyres, where anthropogenic litter accumulates in great quantity. Our study highlights the menace of microplastic contamination on the integrity of fragile remote ecosystems and the urgent need for efficient plastic waste management.
authors.affiliation: Facultad Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile; Millennium Nucleus Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Island (ESMOI), Coquimbo, Chile. Electronic address: nory@ucn.cl.
authors.forename: Nicolas Christian
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Ory
authors.affiliation: MARE-NOVA, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sobral
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Conservação e Restauro, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana Lia
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Facultad Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile; Millennium Nucleus Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Island (ESMOI), Coquimbo, Chile; Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Coquimbo, Chile.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thiel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033342:Copepoda; D004435:Eating; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010969:Plastics; D011114:Polynesia; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Copepod prey; Microplastic contamination; Planktivorous fish; Rapa Nui (Easter Island); South Pacific subtropical gyre