U. Yanuhar, E.N. Wiratno, H. Suryanto, D.R. Machfuda, N.R. Caesar
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In recent years, microplastic waste has become a global environmental problem, especially in rivers and its impact on fish health. The Porong River is one of the main rivers in East Java, Indonesia, flowing through residential areas and industrial zones in the regencies of Mojokerto and Sidoarjo, before emptying into the Java Sea. The infiltration of microplastics from both domestic and industrial sources into aquatic ecosystems is a major issue. These microplastics have the potential to carry harmful additives and water-soluble toxins, which can adversely affect marine organisms and increase environmental contamination. This study aims to evaluate the impact of microplastic contamination in the Porong River on fish health. METHODS: The study was carried out at Porong River, where five sampling stations were established and three replications were performed each location. Observed parameters included microplastic abundance, water quality, histological changes in fish organs, fish blood hematological parameters, and Canonical Correspondence Analysis. FINDINGS: The study indicated that the Porong River is contaminated with microplastics, detected in both water and sediment, with polyethylene terephthalate being the most prevalent. The highest recorded levels were 94.3 particles per liter in the water and 166.1 particles per kilogram in the sediment. Microplastics were also detected in fish gills and intestines. Microplastic affects the blood composition and tissue structure of fish. Hematological analysis indicates deviations in blood cell parameters as an indication of physiological stress in fish. With an average neutrophil percentage of 11.82, surpassing the values seen in healthy fish. Furthermore, lymphocyte levels were found to be below normal at the majority of the sampling stations. Fish gills showed mild damage across all observation stations, with the highest tissue damage score at Station 2 (24.4 percent) and the lowest at Station 5 (9.74 percent). An observed positive correlation exists between microplastics in both the gills and sediment, alongside the parameters of edema and hyperplasia. Microplastic in the intestines has a lesser impact on structural tissue changes compared to the gills. CONCLUSION: Exposure to microplastics has affected fish health and disturbed the balance of the aquatic ecosystem in the Porong River. The outcomes of the current study can serve as a basis for developing regulations that effectively address and reduce plastic waste in rivers, ultimately minimizing microplastic contamination in water ecosystems. © 2025 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Brawijaya University, Jl. Veteran, East Java, Malang, Indonesia; Center Excellent for Cellulose Composite (CECCom), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
