Microplastics and their potential effects on the aquaculture systems: a critical review

Abstract

According to the statistics, 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastics have been produced since 1950s, which is far more than other synthetic materials and the annual production which are about 500 million tonnes per year at present. The production of plastics makes microplastics pollution extremely widespread distribution, which will have a lasting impact on the global environment, especially on the aquaculture systems. And the distribution of the microplastics is extremely imbalanced around the global waters. In the present review, we have summarized the development of aquaculture in the World and China based on the existing data sources. And the total aquaculture production of the World will over 90 million tonnes, which will exceed the capture production in 2020. Aquaculture products will become one of the most important sources of high-quality protein. However, we found that many kinds of microplastics are detected and enriched in both farmed and captured species. Both endogenous and exogenous factors like the use of fishing plastic products, factory farming facility and equipment, natural and synthetic feed, animal health products, aquaculture fortifier and aquatic food additives make accumulation of microplastics easier. In addition, the safety of aquaculture products is closely related to human health because the residues of microplastics in fish leading to various potential hazards. In summary, this paper reviewed the relationship between microplastics and aquaculture, aimed at calling for the rational and restricted use of plastic products in the aquaculture ecosystems.

Bacterial Communities Associated With Four Blooming Scyphozoan Jellyfish: Potential Species-Specific Consequences for Marine Organisms and Humans Health

“…Outbreaks of the four scyphomedusae in this study commonly occur in areas of Chinese coastal waters with large aquaculture industries. China, as the largest exporter of aquatic products in the world, uses vast areas of sea for aquaculture, diverse aquaculture models (e.g., raft culture, cage culture, and pond culture) and numerous species of aquaculture organisms (e.g., fish, shellfish, shrimp, and sea cucumber) ( Cao et al, 2015 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ). In such conditions, high occurrence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in common scyphomedusae is extremely concerning.…”

Editorial Overview: Emissions of Microplastics and Their Control in the Environment

“…The evaluation and management of microplastic pollution from non-point sources are more difficult than those for point sources because it is hard to regulate and locate the emission contributors. For example, WWTPs, plastic industries, and fishing activities have been identified as main point sources of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments (Estahbanati and Fahrenfeld 2016;Su et al 2020;Zhou et al 2021). Thus, efforts have been made to reduce the contents of microbeads in PCPs and control microplastic emissions from WWTPs (Lares et al 2018;Ngo et al 2019).…”

Size Effects of Microplastics on Embryos and Observation of Toxicity Kinetics in Larvae of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

“…Although first raised as an issue by Thompson et al, 2004 [3], microplastics were first discovered in North America in the 1970s in the form of small spheres in plankton off the coast of New England [4]. Subsequently, other researchers also found that these tiny particles were not only in the aquatic environment [5][6][7], but also in soil [8,9], organisms [10][11][12], and even in the atmosphere [13,14]. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2008, plastics smaller than 5 mm in size were identified as microplastics (MPs) [15].…”