Understanding Microplastic Accumulation in Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, in the Monongahela River, WV

Ayden Bailey*, Kyle Hartman, and Kaylyn Zipp

Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (Poster Presentation #61)

Student’s Major: Forensic Chemistry

The field of microplastic study has been steadily increasing over the years as we became more aware of the possible detrimental effects on the environment. However, an examination of the published studies on microplastics as related to aquatic wildlife shows that only 4% of these studies are specific to freshwater fish (Jingyi Li et al, 2018). By analyzing the amount of microplastics found in individual riverine smallmouth bass, we hope to increase the shared understanding of the widespread presence of microplastics in freshwater fish. This in turn will lead to a greater understanding of possible measures to respond to ubiquitous freshwater microplastics. Alternatively, it may suggest that such measures are not immediately necessary. We performed dissections on Micropterus dolomieu (smallmouth bass) that fellow research group members collected for a previous project. The stomachs of the samples were of particular interest as they had the highest expectation of microplastic presence. The inorganic nature of plastic makes it more difficult to break down at the same rate of organic materials in the stomach, so the stomachs were chemically digested to reduce the organic matter. The microplastics found were categorized by size and visual identification of form (fiber, fragment, sheet, etc). We expected the stomachs of the larger fish to contain higher numbers of microplastics as a result of bioaccumulation. Preliminary analysis suggests that this hypothesis is accurate, with the stipulation that microplastics of the smallest category are most abundant across all samples.

Funding: USDA McIntire Stennis program

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course