Relationship between ocean area and incidence of anthropogenic debris ingested by longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox)

Abstract

Longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) may has been studied as an indicator of marine pollution caused by marine litter. The objectives of this study were to determine the difference in frequency of occurrence of plastics ingested by longnose lancetfish in different ocean area. In this study, we compared the incidence and characteristics of anthropogenic debris in the stomachs of longnose lancetfish. We examined 91 longnose lancetfish caught by pelagic longline fishing in Sagami Bay, the North Pacific Ocean, approximately 200 km south of Shikoku, and in the Indian Ocean. Broken down by ocean area, the incidence of anthropogenic debris ingestion was highest in Sagami Bay (23 of 34 specimens, 68%), followed by the North Pacific Ocean (1 of 9, 11%), and the Indian Ocean (8 of 48, 17%). The frequency of occurrence increased in area close to the sphere of human habitation. The anthropogenic debris collected in this study were more than 70% classified as plastic sheeting. Stomach content analysis revealed that more than 90% of the plastic fragments were composed of PP and PE, which have specific gravities that are less than that of seawater. The results of this study show that some of the plastics flowing from the land into the sea are spreading through under the water surface of the ocean.