Microplastic ingestion in Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847 and Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758) along the Gulf of Bejaia, Algeria

Abstract

This study reports for the first time, the relationship between microplastic ingestion and biological parameters in Sardinella aurita and Lithognathus mormyrus from the Gulf of Bejaia, Algeria. Gastrointestinal tracts content of 144 fishes belonging to two different habitats (pelagic and demersal) were examined for microplastics contamination. Our results showed that 74.30% of individuals ingested microplastics. The most common colour of plastic particles was blue (49% in S. aurita and 30% in L. mormyrus) and the most of microplastics extracted from gastrointestinal tracts of samples were fibers (71.64%). There was no significant relationship between age and Fulton’s factors of both the species and the quantity of microplastics ingested by them. Keywords: Biological parameters, Fish age, Gastrointestinal tracts, Marine pollution, Plastic particles