Plastics for Dinner: Store-bought seafood, but not wild-caught, is a source of microplastics to human consumers

Microplastics (MP) contamination was assessed in wild-caught organisms obtained from commercial fishers working in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland, (Australia) in March 2019. MP contamination was assessed in both the edible (muscle) and inedible (GIT) tissues of four commercial seafood organisms commonly caught and consumed in Australia:Common Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus), Barramundi (Lates calcifer), Blue Legged King Prawns (Melicertus latisulcatus), and Ballots Saucer Scallop (Ylistrum balloti) Filleted barramundi muscle tissues, purchased from local seafood suppliers, were also analysed for MPs, to determine whether MP contamination is introduced through the consumer supply chain. Samples were analysed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) or microimaging ATR-FTIR (µFTIR). Physical characteristics of each confirmed synthetic particle were described in terms of shape (fibre or fragment), size and colour from the microscopic photographs. Fibres were defined as elongated particles with a relatively homogenous width throughout, and distinctly parallel sides. All other items were defined as fragments. Fibre length and width was determined, for particles, length determined, and colour for all particles recorded (white and transparent particles were grouped). MP abundance in seafood was calculated as MP g tissue-1 (w.w) or MP sample-1. Unpaired T-tests were used to explore the concentration of MPs extracted from the store-bought fillets and the wild fish. A general linear model with Gaussian distribution was used to explore differences amongst particle sizes extracted from the fillets. Length data was log transformed to improve the goodness of fit of the model. Statistical analysis was carried out using GraphPad Prism 8.4.3 or R version 4.1.1. Full analysis and descriptions at presented in Dawson et.al 2022

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Published (Metadata Record) 02/03/2026
Last updated 03/03/2026
Organisation Australian Federal Government
License License Not Specified
Update Frequency Unknown