A meta-analysis of the characterisations of plastic ingested by fish globally

Plastic contamination in the environment is common but the characterisation of plastic ingested by fishes in different environment is lacking. Hence, a meta-analysis was conducted to identify the prevalence of plastic ingested by fish globally. Based on the qualitative analysis of plastic size, small microplastic (<1 mm) was predominantly ingested by fish globally. Besides, our meta-analysis revealed that plastic fibres (70.6%) and fragments (19.3%) were the most prevalent plastic components ingested by fish, while blue (24.2%) and black (18.0%) coloured plastic were the most abundant. Polyethylene (15.7%) and polyester (11.6%) were the most abundant polymers. Mixed-effect models were employed to identify the effects of the moderators (sampling environment, plastic size, digestive organs examined, and sampling continents) on the prevalence of plastic shape, colour, and polymer type. Among the moderators, only the sampling environment and continent contributed to a significant difference between subgroups in plastic shape and polymer type. The result suggested that most of the fish species ingested plastic unintentionally due to its prevalence in the environment.