Microplastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish species from the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean, off the Coast of Ghana

We present data on the occurrence of microplastics in fish from the Guinea current region off Ghana's Coast. Frequency of occurrence of microplastics in the fish species followed the order: Sardinella maderensis (41%) > Dentex angolensis > (33%) > Sardinella aurita (26%). Mean numbers of microplastics ingested were 40.0 +/- 3.8, 32.0 +/- 2.7 and 25.7 +/- 1.6 for S. maderensis, D. angolensis and S. aurita respectively. Industrially produced pellets were the most dominant (31%) microplastic type followed by microbeads (29%), burnt film plastics (22%) and unidentified fragments (9%). Microfibers (2%), threads (2%) and foams (< 0.1%) were the least occurring microplastics in the fish species. Condition factors estimated for D. angolensis and S. aurita were > 1 and below 1 for S. maderensis. The findings of the study show the common occurrence of microplastics in fish stocks and pave the way for future studies on microplastics in this Region.