Browsing by Author "Manthopoulos, Michael"
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- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve’s species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve's species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance, size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues. Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/ or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Presence of microplastic in commercial bivalves along the Portuguese coast, comparing different aquaculture systemsPublication . Manthopoulos, Michael; Bebianno, Maria João; Nathan, Justine EmilyPlastic pollution is a hazard that has entered many aspects of life and is becoming increasingly distressing on human health. The consumption of marine animals, unfortunately, is now associated with the consumption of plastic, including in aquaculture species. Bivalves are traditionally grown in aquaculture facilities in Portugal for national and international consumption. During the cultivation of these animals, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collection and processing. As more evidence appears for negative impacts of plastic consumption on human health, it is becoming more important to expand the global knowledge base of how much plastic is present in our food. The aim of this thesis as part of the PlasticSea project was to investigate the presence of plastic in three species of bivalves in Portuguese aquaculture: Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus gollaprovincialis), clams (Ruditapes decussatus) and Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas). Five different locations were selected from the Portuguese coast in the regions of Aveiro, Sado and the Algarve. 15 organisms from each location were analysed to identify plastic, remarking their size, colour, and type. 54 particles of plastic were successfully identified from 90 organisms (0.6 particles/ individual), of which the most common colour was black and most common type was fragments. Results were compared to coastal organisms from different natural environments which showed that there was no significant difference between the amount of plastic ingested by each category (natural or aquaculture), but aquaculture specimens are more likely to ingest black plastic, feasibly from aquaculture equipment. Further studies such as spectroscopy analysis would be needed to determine if this is true. This data will help to identify and eliminate the reasons of occurrence of microplastics in marine organisms such as bivalves.