Microplastic Accumulation in Catfish and Its Effects on Fish Eggs from Songkhla Lagoon, Thailand

Abstract

Microplastics have been found to accumulate in freshwater, marine ecosystems, and biological organisms. The frequency of studies on microplastic contamination in organs has increased recently, although there have been relatively fewer investigations on fish eggs in Thailand. To extract microplastics from catfish samples for laboratory analysis (Osteogeneiosus militaris), we used 10% potassium hydroxide in the digestion process. A needle penetrated the fish eggs to investigate microplastic contamination. We examined microplastics under a stereomicroscope and used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to determine the type of polymer. We found microplastic contamination in organs, most commonly in the stomach (0.91 ± 0.13 items/g), followed by tissue (0.53 ± 0.09 items/g), and gills (0.30 ± 0.03 items/g) at the level of significance p < 0.01. We found a total of 349 fish eggs with 27 items of microplastic. The dominant microplastic we found in the stomach, tissue, and gills of the fish, as well as in fish eggs, was of fiber shape. We noted that fragments were found only in the stomach and tissue of fish. The dominant color of microplastics was black in organs and blue in fish eggs. The common polymer types in organs and fish eggs were polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and cellulosic fiber.