Microplastics in the Indian and South Atlantic oceans translocate to gills, digestive glands, and muscle of the chokka squid Loligo reynaudii

Comparative microplastic (MP) data for cephalopods between oceans is scarce. Our aim was to quantify, characterise, and compare MPs in gills, digestive gland, and mantle of chokka squid from the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) and Indian Ocean (IO) off the coast of South Africa. South African squid had m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Pollution Bulletin
Main Authors: Bothma, Francois, van der Lingen, Carl D., Uren, Ryan Christian
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V. 2024
Subjects:
microplastics
fibre length
Indian Ocean
South Atlantic Ocean
tissue translocation
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10566/9404
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116371
Description
Summary:Comparative microplastic (MP) data for cephalopods between oceans is scarce. Our aim was to quantify, characterise, and compare MPs in gills, digestive gland, and mantle of chokka squid from the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) and Indian Ocean (IO) off the coast of South Africa. South African squid had more MPs compared with other studies (means = 2.0 and 0.4 in SAO and IO squid mantle, respectively). Blue fibres were dominant. Identifiable MPs were polyethylene. Despite IO water having higher MP concentrations than the SAO, SAO squid had higher MP concentrations. Dilution by growth is the likely reason for the lower MP concentrations. Fibres were shorter in SAO than IO squid. However, we could not explain why fibre and mantle lengths from both oceans were positively correlated. Squid may not be the best indicator of marine MPs. The characteristics of MPs in squid can be used to track stocks and migrations.

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