MICROPLASTIC OCCURRENCE IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT OF MARBLE GOBY (Oxyeleotris marmorata) FROM JENEBERANG RIVER, MAKASSAR, INDONESIA

Microplastic pollution has been reported in various aquatic environments. Microplastics can accumulate in fish through active and passive uptake. Marble goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata) is a freshwater fish that act as an ambush predator. This feeding habit suggests O. marmorata tend to accumulate microplastics from the aquatic environment through passive uptake. This fish is also one of the consumption commodities utilized in the Jeneberang River. This study aimed to measure the microplastic abundance from the digestive tract of O. marmorata from the Jeneberang River. The O. marmorata individuals were captured using fish traps during the wet and dry seasons. Microplastics from the gastrointestinal tract of O. marmorata were extracted using the alkaline digestive method. The results showed that microplastic was found in O. marmorata digestive tract with an average abundance of 1.11 ± 0.19 MPs/Individual. There is a tendency for microplastic abundance in O. marmorata during dry season (1.58 ± 0.39 MPs/Individual) to be higher compared to the wet season (0.94 ± 0.23 MPs/individual). Blue and line microplastics were the most abundant found in the samples. Based on their shape, the microplastics found in the sample are suspected to be secondary MPs. These results indicate that microplastics have been uptake in high trophic-level fish.