Nephrops and Microplastics

Abstract

Plastic litter, once introduced into the marine environment can fragment into smaller plastic pieces known as microplastics (MPs) due to weathering and degradation. The ubiquitous nature of MPs has led to an increased focus on commercial seafood species as there is potential for this contaminant to enter the human food chain. Several studies to date have reported MPs in the GIT of the Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops norvegicus and the surrounding sedimentary environment. The Dublin Bay prawn, N. norvegicus is one of the most commercially important species landed by the Irish Fleet, worth approximately €37 million in 2020. Due to their high economic value, spatial distribution, and ecological relevance N. norvegicus have the potential to be used as a bioindicator for MP contamination and can be used to provide information to guide policy makers and environmental managers. This research focuses on the MP loadings in N. norvegicus and the exploration of a potential relationship with their surrounding sedimentary habitat within six primary N. norvegicus fishing grounds in the North East Atlantic. While N. norvegicus has been documented to ingest MPs, this research builds on the knowledge base through exploring the ingestion and retention times of MPs of varying sizes. This research proposes a pan-European monitoring programme to detect MP abundances and changes in levels through the use of N. norvegicus as a potential bioindicator for MP contamination.