Microplastics in Mussels Along the Coast of Cape Town, South Africa

Microplastic (MP) contamination in marine organisms is a growing field of research internationally. However not much is known about MP presence in invertebrates in southern Africa. The aim of this study was to determine whether MPs occurs in mussels prevalent in Cape Town, South Africa. Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Choromytilus meridionalis and Aulacomya ater) were sampled at 27 sites in October 2018 and MPs were recorded in 98% of mussels analysed. Most MPs were filaments, dark in colour and the size ranged between 50 and 1000 µm. There were no significant differences in MPs between the mussel species, with an average of 2.33 (standard error ± 0.2) MP particles/g and 4.27 (standard error ± 0.5) particles/individual being recorded for all sites combined. This is the first record of MPs in mussels in the region and provides a baseline for further investigations and monitoring of MPs.