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Article

First Data on Anthropogenic Microparticles in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Gulf of California

by
Leony Malthaner
1,
Ximena Garcia
2,
Lorena Margarita Rios-Mendoza
3,
José R. Rivera-Hernández
4,
Roberto Cruz
4 and
Felipe Amezcua
4,*
1
International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
2
Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cto. de los Posgrados S/N, C.U., Coyoacán, México City 04510, Mexico
3
Natural Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Superior, P.O. Box 2000, Superior, WI 54880, USA
4
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mazatlán 82040, Sinaloa, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Fishes 2024, 9(8), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080310
Submission received: 6 June 2024 / Revised: 27 July 2024 / Accepted: 27 July 2024 / Published: 5 August 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Welfare, Health and Disease)
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Abstract

Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, likely due to anthropogenic activities such as intense fishing and pollution. Nowadays, plastic debris contamination is a subject of concern due to its extensive presence in the sea and the digestive tracts of many fish species. The possible effects of plastic debris as a vector of other pollutants are still unknown. We analyzed the digestive tract of 58 hammerhead sharks to investigate the correlation between plastic and other anthropogenic microparticle contamination and their feeding habits in the eastern region of the Gulf of California, revealing a debris contamination occurrence of 79.3%. Out of these, 91.4% corresponded to fibers, and the remaining 8.6% to fragments. The main component of the debris was cellulose (64.4%). According to their diet, these organisms exhibit benthopelagic habits, feeding both in the water column and on the seabed. These results indicate a high level of contamination of anthropogenic cellulosic microfibers in the area. Although cellulosic microfibers are recognized as a biomaterial, they can be harmful to marine species, posing an additional threat to this iconic shark. This changed according to the year, indicating that the anthropogenic microparticle ingestion is related to the discharges of human activities and their seasonality rather than to a selection process by the sharks.
Keywords: marine litter; plastic debris; shark feeding; polymers; cellulose-based fibers; cotton marine litter; plastic debris; shark feeding; polymers; cellulose-based fibers; cotton
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MDPI and ACS Style

Malthaner, L.; Garcia, X.; Rios-Mendoza, L.M.; Rivera-Hernández, J.R.; Cruz, R.; Amezcua, F. First Data on Anthropogenic Microparticles in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Gulf of California. Fishes 2024, 9, 310. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080310

AMA Style

Malthaner L, Garcia X, Rios-Mendoza LM, Rivera-Hernández JR, Cruz R, Amezcua F. First Data on Anthropogenic Microparticles in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Gulf of California. Fishes. 2024; 9(8):310. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080310

Chicago/Turabian Style

Malthaner, Leony, Ximena Garcia, Lorena Margarita Rios-Mendoza, José R. Rivera-Hernández, Roberto Cruz, and Felipe Amezcua. 2024. "First Data on Anthropogenic Microparticles in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Gulf of California" Fishes 9, no. 8: 310. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080310

APA Style

Malthaner, L., Garcia, X., Rios-Mendoza, L. M., Rivera-Hernández, J. R., Cruz, R., & Amezcua, F. (2024). First Data on Anthropogenic Microparticles in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Gulf of California. Fishes, 9(8), 310. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080310

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