Occurrence and Species‐Specific Distribution of Plastic Debris in Wild Freshwater Fish from the Pearl River Catchment, China

Freshwater systems are an important source and vector of plastic debris found in oceans. However, plastic debris in freshwater organisms has not been well studied. The occurrence, characterization, polymer composition, and seasonal and spatial distribution of plastic debris were investigated in 9 species of wild freshwater fish from the Pearl River catchment, south China. Approximately 50% of the total fish (n = 279) belonging to 9 species were found to ingest plastic debris with an average abundance of 7.0 ± 23.8 items/individual, indicating wide plastic contamination in the Pearl River catchment. Plastic debris were predominantly transparent or white in color, fibers or fragments in shape, and polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer (PE-PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in polymer composition. A species-specific distribution of the plastic debris was observed in terms of abundance, shape, and polymer composition. Redbelly tilapia had the highest (27.4 ± 54.0 items/individual), whereas common carp had the lowest (0.2 ± 0.4 items/individual) abundance of the plastic debris in their gastrointestinal tracts. Fibers of PET were predominant in the freshwater species except in barbel chubs, which had mostly PE-PP fragments. Omnivores and bottom-dwellers were more likely to ingest plastic debris. Seasonal variation was observed, with generally higher abundance of plastic debris in fish collected in the dry season than in the wet season. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1504-1513. © 2019 SETAC.