Low microplastic loads in riverine European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from southwest England during their marine-freshwater transition.

ABSTRACT

The microplastic loads in elvers of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla, sampled in the lower reaches of three English rivers, were very low (incidence 3.3%, mean ± s.d. 0.03 ± 0.18 particles) and did not vary with body length or between rivers. Particles were mostly black, polyolefins, fibres and fragments of size 101-200 µm. Current levels indicate a low contamination pressure locally and, consequently, management efforts might prioritise mitigating the effects of other stressors affecting the species.