48
K. Amrutha et al.
3.5 Biota
The Mps research in India is in its emerging stage, and there are immense gaps
of knowledge regarding freshwater Mps. There is very little data on the environmental fate, and the biological effects of Mps in freshwater species are unavailable.
Intake of fishes can be a possible source of human intake of microplastics [24],
especially consumption of dried fish (the whole body of the fish is dried; in most
cases without removing the digestive tract; [23, 61]. As mentioned earlier, only a
few reports were available on the presence of Mps in the organisms. Microplastics
were detected from fish [60, 68], anchovies Kripa et al. [66], benthic invertebrates
[81], oysters [89], mussels [80], etc. Naidu and his team confirmed the presence
of Mps in the benthic invertebrates off Kochi sediments [81]. They provided the
first evidence for the existence of microplastics particles in benthic fauna from the
coastal waters of India. Microplastics (PE, CL, RY, PES, and PP) were obtained from
important fishes collected from different coasts of Kerala [98]. A study conducted by
James et al. [51] found 4.6% of microplastics from the fishes (n = 653; 16 species)
collected by them from off Kochi. A shrimp species from the coastal waters of Kochi,
Fenneropenaeus indicus, has been investigated for the presence of microplastics and
their seasonal variation in them (mean ± SD = 0.39 ± 0.6 microplastics/shrimp;
[23]). The result showed a comparatively higher abundance of microplastic pollution during the monsoon season. The study conducted by Daniel et al. [24] observed
a significantly higher microplastic concentration in inedible tissue in filter feeders
compared to visual predators. Their study obtained microplastic abundance in both
edible and inedible parts of some commercially important pelagic fishes from the
Kochi coast (n = 270; 30 fish per species), but in lower quantity. Most of the fishes
had microplastics in the inedible parts (0.53 ± 0.77 items/fish) than in the edible
parts (0.07 ± 0.26 items/fish).
Kumar et al. [68] found out the presence of microplastics in twelve fishes out of
forty fishes collected Tuticorin, in which microfibres were dominant. As the coast
is nearer to the Gulf of Mannar, the authors emphasized the need for particular
concern to the region. Microplastics were obtained from the Indian edible oyster
(Magallana bilineata; n = 180) collected from three locations along this coast (mean
abundance = 6.9 ± 3.84 items/individual; [89]. They observed a strong relation
between microplastic distribution along the oysters and water samples collected
from the study area. Their results showed that microplastic bioavailability increases
with the increasing size of oysters. Karuppasamy et al. [61] found out the presence
of plastic particles (micro-and meso-plastics) from the gastrointestinal tract of some
important fishes they collected from Chennai and Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
After a study conducted on two bivalve species collected from the three estuaries in
Pondicherry, the authors calculated the amount of ingestion of microplastics per year
through mussel consumption by an average person belonging to the local community to be 3917.79 ± 144.71 [30]. The microplastic ingestion in both mesopelagic
and epipelagic fishes was reported from Tuticorin, with higher levels of microplastic
K. Amrutha et al.
3.5 Biota
The Mps research in India is in its emerging stage, and there are immense gaps
of knowledge regarding freshwater Mps. There is very little data on the environmental fate, and the biological effects of Mps in freshwater species are unavailable.
Intake of fishes can be a possible source of human intake of microplastics [24],
especially consumption of dried fish (the whole body of the fish is dried; in most
cases without removing the digestive tract; [23, 61]. As mentioned earlier, only a
few reports were available on the presence of Mps in the organisms. Microplastics
were detected from fish [60, 68], anchovies Kripa et al. [66], benthic invertebrates
[81], oysters [89], mussels [80], etc. Naidu and his team confirmed the presence
of Mps in the benthic invertebrates off Kochi sediments [81]. They provided the
first evidence for the existence of microplastics particles in benthic fauna from the
coastal waters of India. Microplastics (PE, CL, RY, PES, and PP) were obtained from
important fishes collected from different coasts of Kerala [98]. A study conducted by
James et al. [51] found 4.6% of microplastics from the fishes (n = 653; 16 species)
collected by them from off Kochi. A shrimp species from the coastal waters of Kochi,
Fenneropenaeus indicus, has been investigated for the presence of microplastics and
their seasonal variation in them (mean ± SD = 0.39 ± 0.6 microplastics/shrimp;
[23]). The result showed a comparatively higher abundance of microplastic pollution during the monsoon season. The study conducted by Daniel et al. [24] observed
a significantly higher microplastic concentration in inedible tissue in filter feeders
compared to visual predators. Their study obtained microplastic abundance in both
edible and inedible parts of some commercially important pelagic fishes from the
Kochi coast (n = 270; 30 fish per species), but in lower quantity. Most of the fishes
had microplastics in the inedible parts (0.53 ± 0.77 items/fish) than in the edible
parts (0.07 ± 0.26 items/fish).
Kumar et al. [68] found out the presence of microplastics in twelve fishes out of
forty fishes collected Tuticorin, in which microfibres were dominant. As the coast
is nearer to the Gulf of Mannar, the authors emphasized the need for particular
concern to the region. Microplastics were obtained from the Indian edible oyster
(Magallana bilineata; n = 180) collected from three locations along this coast (mean
abundance = 6.9 ± 3.84 items/individual; [89]. They observed a strong relation
between microplastic distribution along the oysters and water samples collected
from the study area. Their results showed that microplastic bioavailability increases
with the increasing size of oysters. Karuppasamy et al. [61] found out the presence
of plastic particles (micro-and meso-plastics) from the gastrointestinal tract of some
important fishes they collected from Chennai and Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
After a study conducted on two bivalve species collected from the three estuaries in
Pondicherry, the authors calculated the amount of ingestion of microplastics per year
through mussel consumption by an average person belonging to the local community to be 3917.79 ± 144.71 [30]. The microplastic ingestion in both mesopelagic
and epipelagic fishes was reported from Tuticorin, with higher levels of microplastic