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Low plastic ingestion rate in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) from Newfoundland destined for human consumption collected through citizen science methods

Max Liboiron, View ORCID ProfileFrance Liboiron, Emily Wells, Natalie Richárd, Alexander Zahara, Charles Mather, Hillary Bradshaw, Judyannet Murichi
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/080986
Max Liboiron
1Department of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 5S7, Canada
2Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
3Program in Environmental Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 5S7, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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  • For correspondence: mliboiron@mun.ca
France Liboiron
4Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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  • ORCID record for France Liboiron
Emily Wells
4Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Natalie Richárd
2Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Alexander Zahara
2Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Charles Mather
2Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Hillary Bradshaw
2Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Judyannet Murichi
1Department of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 5S7, Canada
5Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Abstract

Marine microplastics are a contaminant of concern because their small size allows ingestion by a wide range of marine life. Using citizen science during the Newfoundland recreational cod fishery, we sampled 205 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) destined for human consumption and found that 5 had eaten plastic, an ingestion prevalence rate of 2.4%. This ingestion rate for Atlantic cod is the second lowest recorded rate in the reviewed published literature (the lowest is 1.4%), and the lowest for any fish in the North Atlantic. This is the first report for plastic ingestion in fish in Newfoundland, Canada, a province dependent on fish for sustenance and livelihoods.

Highlights (3–5 points, 85 char max including spaces)

  • Plastic ingestion rate of 2.4% for Atlantic Cod (n=205)

  • First recorded baseline for fish in Newfoundland, Canada

  • This plastic ingestion prevalence rate is among the lowest recorded to date

  • Used citizen science to collect GI tracts from fish destined for human consumption

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted October 14, 2016.
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Low plastic ingestion rate in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) from Newfoundland destined for human consumption collected through citizen science methods
Max Liboiron, France Liboiron, Emily Wells, Natalie Richárd, Alexander Zahara, Charles Mather, Hillary Bradshaw, Judyannet Murichi
bioRxiv 080986; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/080986
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Low plastic ingestion rate in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) from Newfoundland destined for human consumption collected through citizen science methods
Max Liboiron, France Liboiron, Emily Wells, Natalie Richárd, Alexander Zahara, Charles Mather, Hillary Bradshaw, Judyannet Murichi
bioRxiv 080986; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/080986

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