Presence of microplastics and microparticles in Oregon Black Rockfish sampled near marine reserve areas

Katherine S Lasdin; Madison Arnold; Anika Agrawal; H William Fennie; Kirsten Grorud-Colvert; Su Sponaugle; Lindsay Aylesworth; Scott Heppell; Susanne M Brander

doi:10.7717/peerj.14564

Presence of microplastics and microparticles in Oregon Black Rockfish sampled near marine reserve areas

PeerJ. 2023 Feb 14:11:e14564. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14564. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Katherine S Lasdin^{1

2}, Madison Arnold³, Anika Agrawal⁴, H William Fennie^{5

6

7}, Kirsten Grorud-Colvert⁵, Su Sponaugle^{5

7}, Lindsay Aylesworth⁸, Scott Heppell², Susanne M Brander⁹

Affiliations

¹ School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
² Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States.
³ Department of Environmental Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States.
⁴ Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
⁵ Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States.
⁶ Fisheries Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁷ Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, USA.
⁸ Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Newport, OR, USA.
⁹ Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, United States.

Abstract

Measuring the spatial distribution of microparticles which include synthetic, semi-synthetic, and anthropogenic particles is critical to understanding their potential negative impacts on species. This is particularly important in the context of microplastics, which are a form of microparticle that are prevalent in the marine environment. To facilitate a better understanding of microparticle occurrence, including microplastics, we sampled subadult and young juvenile Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops) at multiple Oregon coast sites, and their gastrointestinal tracts were analyzed to identify ingested microparticles. Of the subadult rockfish, one or more microparticles were found in the GI tract of 93.1% of the fish and were present in fish from Newport, and near four of five marine reserves. In the juveniles, 92% of the fish had ingested one or more microparticles from the area of Cape Foulweather, a comparison area, and Otter Rock, a marine reserve. The subadults had an average of 7.31 (average background = 5) microparticles detected, while the juveniles had 4.21 (average background = 1.8). In both the subadult and juvenile fish, approximately 12% of the microparticles were identified as synthetic using micro-Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy (micro-FTIR). Fibers were the most prevalent morphology identified, and verified microparticle contamination was a complex mixture of synthetic (∼12% for subadults and juveniles), anthropogenic (∼87% for subadults and 85.5% for juveniles), and natural (e.g., fur) materials (∼0.7% for subadults and ∼2.4% for juveniles). Similarities in exposure types (particle morphology, particle number) across life stages, coupled with statistical differences in exposure levels at several locations for subadult fish, suggest the potential influence of nearshore oceanographic patterns on microparticle distribution. A deeper understanding of the impact microplastics have on an important fishery such as those for S. melanops, will contribute to our ability to accurately assess risk to both wildlife and humans.

Keywords: Black Rockfish; Ingestion; Marine Pollution; Microfibers; Microparticles; Microplastics; Oregon.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Bass*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Microplastics
Oregon
Perciformes*
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical

Grants and funding

This work was supported by The Agricutlural Reserach Foundation at Oregon State University (grant to SMB), Oregon State University research and teaching assistantships, and The National Science Foundation Research Traineeship project at Oregon State University (Award #: 1545188, Award Title: NRT-DESE: Risk and uncertainty quantification in marine science and policy). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.