Microplastic pollution in Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), from a Fish Farm and Trench at Borlam Plantation, No. 19 Road, Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana

The presence of microplastics in edible freshwater fish tissues from Guyana remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the occurrence of microplastics in water, sediments, and tissues of farmed Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia), comparing specimens from a fish farm and wild caught counterparts from an open trench at Borlam Plantation, No. 19 Road, Corentyne-Berbice, Guyana. Microplastics were extracted using a potassium hydroxide (KOH) digestion process, followed by density separation and vacuum filtration. Recovered particles were identified by microscopic examination. A total of 68 microplastic particles were recovered from 18 specimens of O. mossambicus, with farmed tilapia exhibiting an average of 8.83 ± 15.68 particles per individual and wild caught tilapia showing an average of 2.50 ± 2.59 particles per individual. Additionally, a total of 61 microplastic particles were found in the environmental samples; with an average of 7.7 ± 8.3 particles/L and 8.7 ± 3.8 particles/L, in water from the fish farm and trench, and an average of 2.3 ± 4.0 particles/g and 1.7 ± 1.2 particles/g in the sediment of the fish farm and trench, respectively. The morphological analysis revealed that blue and black-coloured fibers were predominant in all samples. These findings indicate that microplastics may be ingested and accumulate in the tissues of tilapia, which may potentially impact aquatic organism health and aquaculture production and pose risks to human health through consumption.