Plastic pollution has become a global issue nowadays. Due to the increased population in developing countries, we largely depend on fish from our aquaculture industry to meet the required protein demand. Though several studies documented plastic ingestion in freshwater and marine organisms, very limited studies have been conducted to elucidate microplastic (MP) contamination in commercial fish feed. Therefore, this study was designed to identify, quantify, and characterize microplastics (MPs) in commercial fish feeds in Bangladesh and assess possible health risks in fish consuming different commercial fish feeds. All fish feed samples were 100 % contaminated with MPs, where the mean abundance of MPs ranged between 500 and 2200 MPs/kg. No significant differences among different types of feeds (e.g., starter, grower, and finisher) were observed in terms of MPs abundance (F = 0.999, p = 0.385). This study revealed that fiber was the most dominant shape of MPs (90 %), while the most dominant color of MPs was red (34 %), followed by black (31 %) and blue (19 %). The 100-1500 µm size class covers 88 % of the total MPs in the collected fish feed samples. Identified polymers in the samples were polyethylene (PE, 37.71 %), polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 27.14 %), polypropylene (PP, 22.08 %), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 13.07 %), respectively, where PE and PVC fall under the risk category IV to V. The Pollution load index (PLI) values of all fish feed samples were <10, indicating the risk category of I (low risk). Therefore, this study highly recommended avoiding plastic materials in the packaging and storing purposes of feed ingredients in the feed mills to ensure contamination-free fish feed for sustainable aquaculture.

Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Noakhali Science and Technology University Nokhali 3814 Bangladesh; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrogenases Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology Zatisi 728 2 Vodnany 389 25 Czech Republic

Department of Oceanography Noakhali Science and Technology University Noakhali 3814 Bangladesh

Department of Oceanography Noakhali Science and Technology University Noakhali 3814 Bangladesh; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrogenases Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology Zatisi 728 2 Vodnany 389 25 Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

Unveiling Microplastics in Commercial Brackish Water Fishes from the Lower Meghna River Estuary of Bangladesh