posted on 2019-11-08, 16:03authored byFrance Collard, Johnny Gasperi, Geir W. Gabrielsen, Bruno Tassin
Plastic
pollution, especially microplastics (MP) pollution, is
a hot topic in both mainstream media and scientific literature. Although
rivers are potentially the major transport pathway of this pollution
to the sea, plastic contamination in freshwater bodies is comparatively
understudied. Microplastic pollution in freshwater fish is of growing
interest, and while few studies exist, discrepancies do occur in the
sampling, extraction, and identification of MP and in the expression
of the results. Even though those differences hamper comparisons between
some studies, a comparative work has been performed to identify the
factors influencing MP ingestion by fish and consequently to target
potential ecological traits that can be used to monitor species. Monitoring
plastic ingested by fish will give relevant ecological information
on MP pollution. This review focuses on MP ingestion by wild freshwater
and estuarine fish. In addition to providing an overview of the existing
data concerning contamination levels in wild freshwater fish, we aimed
to (1) propose several overall recommendations on the methodologies
applicable to all biota, (2) compare MP contamination levels in fish
and in their environment, and (3) determine which parameters could
help to define fish species for monitoring.