Acronym ACUIPLASTIC
Category
Aquaculture
Title Aquaculture derived plastics: impacts and effects in marine food webs Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator NA Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
IEO - Spanish Institute of Oceanography (Spain)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2018 End year 2020 Funding (€) € 165,770 Website NA Summary The ACUIPLASTIC project will explore for the first time, ecological, physical and chemical effects of microplastics from aquaculture practices in marine organisms, both in laboratory and field conditions. We hypothesize that integrated multitrophic aquaculture (imta) systems release plastic into the marine environment and,consequently there is transfer of microplastics across the food web (hypothesis 1).in addition, we further hypothise that reared juvenile fish sea bass are expected to exhibit physiological, histological and toxicological responses under exposure to controlled and enriched microplastics diets (hypothesis 2).
The transfer of microplastics in marine food webs within aquaculture practices will be studied using an integrated multiprophic aquaculture system (imta) integrating key test species (mytilus galloprovincialis, dicentrarchus labrax,sparus aurata and holothuria forskahli). The selected test species are organisms with different feeding strategies, taxonomic levels which inhabit different ecological compartments: water column and the seafloor. These species will be used as sentinel organisms to evaluate the transfer and effect of microplastics at an ecological and physiological level. Samples collected from imta systems and control sites will be analyzed for microplastic ingestion, response to biomarkers, endocrine disruption, histological effects, associated contaminants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes), polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) as well as and microplastic characterization.
The second aspect of the ACUIPLASTIC project will determine microplastic ingestion through experimental design by exposing dicentrarchus labrax to a strict diet enriched in microplastics under controlled aquaculture laboratory settings over a period of 5 months (3-months microplastic diet and 2-month detoxification period). Test species will be monitored daily and sampled every two weeks and ingestion, species response through biomarkers, histological effects and associated contaminants (pcbs, pbdes and pahs) will be evaluated. Results from the ACUIPLASTIC project will provide evidence associated to the transfer of microplastics in aquaculture and in commercial species for human consumption under experimental and controlled conditions.
The results from this scientific project will benefit from the i+d+i structure of spanish aquaculture field, producing magnified effects and new forms of transferring knowledge. The generation and distribution of the results from this proposal will allow the transfer of knowledge from the i+d-i, establishing closer relationships between the scientific world and stakeholders such as government and civil agencies, establishing synergies to raise awareness of the problems and implications of microplastic, their transfer and accumulation in the food web of aquaculture fish species. The aims of this project intend to address the challenge of the growing concern of microplastics in the marine environments and their effects and impacts within the food web and potential risks for human health.
The broad expertise of the group and the innovated experimental approach integrates both laboratory and field work in a realistic scenario providing assessment into the complex problems of marine litter and microplastics. The outcome will contribute to estrategia española de ciencia y tecnologia de innovacion plan 2013-2020 spanish government.
Keywords
Fish;
Bivalve;
Open sea aquaculture;
Shellfish;
Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA);
Echinoderm;
Seabass;
Mussel;
Environmental impact;
Mollusc;
Seabream;
Microplastics;
Sea cucumber;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
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