Author(s)

Thies Thiemann

Department of Chemistry, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE.

Microplastic has been found in all major waterbodies in the world. Many examples of ingestion of microplastic by marine organisms have been reported. This presence of microplastic in marine organisms gives it the possibility to penetrate the human food chain by increasing the chance of microplastic in seafood targeted for human consumption. Although it is known that parts of the Indian Ocean suffer from significant plastic pollution, much of the systematic research on the microplastic abundance in different regions of the Indian Ocean stems only from the last five years. This manuscript reviews the available literature of 2015-2022 on the presence of microplastics in commercially important fish species in the Indian Ocean. The literature data on microplastic content on beaches, in subtidal sediment, in the sediment from the ocean floor, and in surface water of different regions of the Indian Ocean is reviewed, also.

Review, Commercial Fish, Indian Ocean, Microplastic, Environmental Pollution

Thiemann, T. (2023) Microplastic in the Marine Environment of the Indian Ocean. Journal of Environmental Protection, 14, 297-359. doi: 10.4236/jep.2023.144020.