Plastic pollution in five urban estuaries of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Naidoo, Trishan; Glassom, David; Smit, Albertus J.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.044

Cited by 242 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Among marine environments, including the harbour in this investigation, the lowest incidence of plastic ingestion was found in fish from deep waters (Anastasopoulou et al 2013). The high incidence of plastic ingestion by M. cephalus in this study may be due to their mode of indiscriminate benthic feeding (Whitfield et al 2012), because plastics accumulate in intertidal sediments of Durban Harbour (Naidoo et al 2015). In a study by Hoss and Settle (1990), experimentally fed early juvenile M. cephalus ingested five times more plastic than did five other fish species, with up to 75% of fish consuming polystyrene spheres 210-350 μm in diameter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Most of the plastics ingested by M. cephalus were clear or white. However, clear and white plastic particles together constituted the majority of all plastic particle colours in nearby sediments (Naidoo et al 2015) and in offshore waters (Ryan 1988), implying that ingestion of particles of these colours is not selective. This concurs with studies of fish in the North Pacific Central Gyre (Boerger et al 2010) and the English Channel (Lusher et al 2013), and of estuarine fish of the Goiana Estuary, in north-east Brazil (Dantas et al 2012;Ramos et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…For example, fibres formed the lowest proportion of the plastic ingested by pelagic-feeding fish in the Mediterranean Sea (Anastasopoulou et al 2013), but the highest proportion in benthic-or demersal-feeding fish, such as M. cephalus collected in Durban Harbour and gudgeons Gobio gobio from an urban French river . Although there are no comparable studies of plastic ingestion by benthic fish from deep seas, Woodall et al (2014) reported that the deep sea has become 'a major sink' for fibres, with concentrations of up to 15 fibres per 50 ml in the Mediterranean deep-sea sediment, whereas up to 10 fibres per 50 ml were found in Durban Harbour (Naidoo et al 2015). Potentially, therefore, rates of ingestion may be similar to those found in urban environments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plastic ingestion by estuarine mulletMugil cephalus(Mugilidae) in an urban harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Naidoo

Smit

Glassom

2016

African Journal of Marine Science

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Coastal urban environments have high plastic pollution levels, and hence interactions between plastic debris and marine life are frequent. We report on plastic ingestion by mullet Mugil cephalus in Durban Harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Of 70 mullet (13.0-19.5 cm total length), 73% had plastic particles in their guts, with a mean of 3.8 particles per fish (SD 4.7). Plastic ingestion showed no relation to digestive tract content or fish length. White and clear plastic fibres were ingested most commonly. This urban population of M. cephalus had a higher incidence of plastic ingestion than has been reported in studies on fish from other coastal areas or the oceanic environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plastic ingestion by estuarine mulletMugil cephalus(Mugilidae) in an urban harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Naidoo

Smit

Glassom

2016

African Journal of Marine Science

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“…Rivers and urban tributaries, however, have been shown to be major transport pathways for microplastics and macroplastics (Moore et al, 2011;Gasperi et al, 2014;Lechner et al, 2014;Rech et al, 2014;Zhao et al, 2014;Corcoran et al, 2015;Naidoo et al, 2015). Whereas buoyant materials are transported on surface waters (Gasperi et al, 2014), non-buoyant materials are transported along the tributary bed (Moore et al, 2011;Morritt et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources and sinks of microplastics in Canadian Lake Ontario nearshore, tributary and beach sediments

Ballent

Corcoran

Madden

et al. 2016

Marine Pollution Bulletin

554

230

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Microplastics contamination of Lake Ontario sediments is investigated with the aim of identifying distribution patterns and hotspots in nearshore, tributary and beach depositional environments. Microplastics are concentrated in nearshore sediments in the vicinity of urban and industrial regions. In Humber Bay and Toronto Harbour microplastic concentrations were consistently >500 particles per kg dry sediment. Maximum concentrations of ~28,000 particles per kg dry sediment were determined in Etobicoke Creek. The microplastic particles were primarily fibres and fragments < 2 mm in size. Both low-and high-density plastics were identified using Raman spectroscopy. We provide a baseline for future monitoring and discuss potential sources of microplastics in terms of how and where to implement preventative measures to reduce the contaminant influx. Although the impacts of microplastics contamination on ecosystem health and functioning is uncertain, understanding, monitoring and preventing further microplastics contamination in Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes is crucial . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Ballent, Anika Manuscript page 1Sources and sinks of microplastics in Canadian Lake Ontario nearshore, tributary and beach sediments. AbstractMicroplastics contamination of Lake Ontario sediments is investigated with the aim of identifying distribution patterns and hotspots in nearshore, tributary and beach depositional environments. Microplastics are concentrated in nearshore sediments in the vicinity of urban and industrial regions. In Humber Bay and Toronto Harbour microplastic concentrations were consistently >500 particles per kg dry sediment. Maximum concentrations of ~28,000 particles per kg dry sediment were determined in Etobicoke Creek. The microplastic particles were primarily fibres and fragments < 2 mm in size. Both low-and high-density plastics were identified using Raman spectroscopy. We provide a baseline for future monitoring and discuss potential sources of microplastics in terms of how and where to implement preventative measures to reduce the contaminant influx. Although the impacts of microplastics contamination on ecosystem health and functioning is uncertain, understanding, monitoring and preventing further microplastics contamination in Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes is crucial.

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“…However, estuaries provide pathways for the transport of MPs from catchments to the oceans, notably in urban areas where estuarine waters serve as industrial outflows or fishing grounds [34,35]. The characterization of MPs in five urban estuaries of Durban (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) found the highest concentrations in sediments collected from Durban harbor, which included cosmetic microbeads and fibers [35]. Possible sources were thought to include the several rivers that flow through Durban's industrial suburbs and enter the harbor, the industrial companies that use plastic powders and pellets around the harbor, and the closeness of dry docks where ship repairs take place.…”

Section: Presence Of Mps In African Marine and Estuarine Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in Inland African Waters: Presence, Sources, and Fate

Khan

Mayoma

Biginagwa

et al. 2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

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As the birthplace of our species, the African continent holds a unique place in human history. Upon entering a new epoch, the Anthropocene defined by human-driven influences on earth systems, and with the recognition that plastic pollution is one of the hallmarks of this new age, remarkably little is known about the presence, sources, and fate of plastics (and microplastics (MPs)) within African waters. Research in marine regions, most notably around the coast of South Africa, describes the occurrence of MPs in seabirds and fish species. More recently environmental sampling studies in the same area have quantified plastics in both the water column and sediments. However, despite Africa containing some of the largest and deepest of the world's freshwater lakes, including Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika as part of the African Great Lakes system, and notable freshwater rivers, such as the River Congo and the Nile, the extent of MPs within the inland waters remains largely unreported. In the only study to date to describe MP pollution in the African Great Lakes, a variety of polymers, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and silicone rubber, were recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fished from Lake Victoria. The likely sources of these plastics were considered to be human activities linked to fishing and tourism, and urban waste. In this chapter we discuss the need for research focus on MPs in Africa and how what has been described in the coastal regions and other freshwater environments can be applied to inland African waters. The aforementioned study in Lake Victoria is used to exemplify how small-scale investigations can provide early indications of MP pollution. Lastly we discuss the current challenges and future needs of MP research in African freshwaters.

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Plastic pollution in five urban estuaries of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Cited by 242 publications

References 61 publications

Plastic ingestion by estuarine mulletMugil cephalus(Mugilidae) in an urban harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Plastic ingestion by estuarine mulletMugil cephalus(Mugilidae) in an urban harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Sources and sinks of microplastics in Canadian Lake Ontario nearshore, tributary and beach sediments

Microplastics in Inland African Waters: Presence, Sources, and Fate

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