Microplastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) in the North and central Moroccan Atlantic coast between Larache (35°30'N) and Boujdour (26°30'N).

Horse mackerel is a semi-pelagic species found in abundance in the Moroccan coasts and occupies the first ranks in the catches landed by the coastal fleet. In this study, we investigated the ingestion of Polyamide, Acrylic and Polystyrene by Atlantic horse mackerel, in the Moroccan Atlantic coastal area located between Larache (35°30'N) and Boujdour (26°30'N). The objective is to map the spatial distribution of horse Mackerel containing microplastics (MPs) in their stomachs and identify hot spot areas.

Ingestion of microplastics by pelagic fish from the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast.

As in the rest of the world, plastics are the most dominant marine litter category in Moroccan Atlantic waters. This work aims to identify the presence of microplastics in the stomach contents of three small pelagic species of the Central zone of the Atlantic, located between Cape Cantin (33°N) and Cape Boujdor (26°N): Scomber spp., Truchurus truchurus and Sardina pilchardus; Also, to map the spatial distribution of the investigated species.