Miliou, A., Hofer, S., Maridakis, C., Almeida, M., Cox, R. Assessment of microplastic fibre contamination in the eastern Aegean Sea, with the use of Holothurians as indicator species. Commission Internationale de la Mer Méditerranée (CIESM) 2016 Congress.

Abstract:

This study assesses the use of Holothurians as an indicator species for the presence of microplastics in the coastal zone of Samos island, NE Aegean, Greece. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the contamination in deposit feeders in the lowest level of the trophic food chain. Individuals were sampled in the coastal zone at 5 sites on Samos Island and the total amount of egested fibres was measured. Microplastic fibres were found in all the samples with an average of 1.388 ± 0.041 (SD) fibres per individual and neither depth nor anthropogenic activities affected the concentration levels in this particular study.