Background: Plastic production has grown tremendously over the last 60 years. Today, plastics are considered a serious threat to marine environments. Plastic parts smaller than 5 mm are called microplastic. Plastics that are micron-sized during production are called primary microplastics, and plastics that result from the decomposition of larger plastics into offshore and offshore environments are called secondary microplastics. Mangrove forests in Bushehr province are the ecologically sensitive areas, which face very high threats such as the entry of industrial pollutants and urban wastewater.
Aim: The purpose of this study is to identify and measure microplastics in the sediment and fish of Mudskipper (Periophthalmus waltoni) in mangrove forests in Bushehr province.
Methodology: Sediment and Mudskipper samples were collected from five stations of mangrove forests in Bushehr province. In each mangrove forest, six sediment points were collected at high, mid and low tidal points. NaCl density-based sediment was used for microplastic separation. Also, at least 3 Mudskippers were harvested for each region to investigate the presence of microplastics in their bodies.
Results: A total of 2657 plastic particles in different sizes, colors, shapes, and genera were identified and isolated from sediment samples and 15 microplastic from Mudskippers. The highest abundance of particles isolated from sediment was observed in Bidkhoun mangrove forest (urban) and the lowest in Bordkhoon mangrove forest while no microplastics were found in the Mudskipper's abdominal cavity in that region. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify the type of polymers. The most common types of polymer particles isolated were polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate.
Conclusion: The results showed that Bidkhoun mangrove forest is more polluted other studied forests because of its proximity to discharge ponts of urban and industrial waste