Red Shrimp, Sole, Sardine, and Norway Lobster as Potential Microplastic Carriers

A scientific team from the Balearic Oceanographic Center of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO, CSIC) has led a study evaluating the role of marine species in the dispersion of microplastics through the food chain.

The study, published in the journal 'Science of the Total Environment', presents a novel methodology to understand the transmission and accumulation of microplastics through the diet in species from different taxonomic groups, such as mollusks and fish, inhabiting both the water column and the seabed.

According to the Institute, the scientific team studied a food web initially composed of 108 species with known microplastic ingestion data and analyzed the predator-prey interactions of these species, generating a total of 3,517 interactions.

To understand the impact of species on the transmission of microplastics within the food web, predator-prey contamination indices were developed. The results show how certain commercially important species, such as the red shrimp (Aristetus antenatus), sole (Solea solea), sardine (Sardina pilchardus), and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), could play crucial roles in the transmission of microplastics through the food web.

"It is striking that some of the species with a high potential to introduce and transfer microplastics are also important commercial species that occupy a key position not only in the marine food web but also in the human diet," notes the study's first author, Rubén Olmo-Gilabert.

The identification of key species and the evaluation of their role in the transmission of microplastics will allow for the development of effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of microplastic pollution and safeguard the health of marine ecosystems.

The work is part of the project 'Plastics Derived from Aquaculture: Impacts and Effects on Marine Food Webs', funded by the State Program for Research, Development, and Innovation Oriented to Societal Challenges, within the framework of the 2013-2016 State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation of the Government of Spain, led by Salud Deudero, a researcher at the Balearic Oceanographic Center of the IEO and head of the 'Anthropic Impacts on Coastal Ecosystems' research group.