Search

Copyright of Habitus Aquatica (Journal of Aquatic Resources & Fisheries Management) is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The highly use of polyethylene plastics in Indonesia has negative impact toward freshwater aquaculture systems. Omnivorous fish is one of the freshwater biota that exposed by microplastics. This study aims to determine the effect of microplastics to water quality and the prevalence of microplastic exposure in tilapia. The experimental design is conducted using a microplastic exposure (polyethylene scrub) with concentration of 0.01 g/L (P1), 0.1 g/L (P2), and 1 g/L (P3). Each treatment is repeated 3 times. The organ groups observed are the gastrointestinal, liver, gills, and gonads. The stages of the research including fish raising, microplastic extraction, water quality measuring parameter, and counting the amount of microplastics. The result obtained for water quality parameter is temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen still within safe fish farming limit. Microplastics at high concentration in water can cause a decrease in the total value of ammonia and do not affect the value of water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen. Microplastics are found in the digestive organs, liver, gills, and gonads. The digestive tract of tilapia is the organ with the most microplastics after 14 days of exposure. It is concluded that microplastic is harmful for the life of tilapia because it can absorb to the liver and gonads.

Microplastics are a type of plastic waste that can contaminate water, soil, plants, animals, and humans. Microplastic waste from freshwater, include industry, agriculture, and anthropogenic activities, can be a source of microplastic pollution in the sea. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Indian scad (Decapterus ruselli) are omnivorous fish that live in the water column. Usually, tilapias are cultivated in fresh water while Indian scads are caught directly from the sea. Microplastic identification using stereo microscope found a total of 158 microplastics in the gills, stomach and intestines of tilapia, while as many as 411 microplastics have been found in the gills, stomach, and intestines of scad fish. The number of microplastic fragments in the gills, stomach, and intestines of fish dominates, comes from the plastic fragmentation of polypropylene and polyethylene materials. The second most common type of microplastic is fiber, recognized by its long shape and resembling a rope or thread derived from fiber nets and household appliances. In fish body, fiber-type microplastics can clump together or form knots that can block the digestive tract and block the passage of food. Film type microplastics were found in the least amount from the three fish organs analyzed. This film types are identified as polyethylene and polypropylene polymers in the form of thin sheets from the degradation of plastic packaging. They have the lowest density of other types of microplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]