Ingestion of macroplastics by common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the Atlantic Ocean

The anthropogenic impact of pollution by plastic debris has threatened marine life inhabiting benthic and pelagic habitats from the poles to the equa tor (e.g., Ryan and Moloney, 1993; Derraik, 2002; Thompson et al., 2004). The ingestion of plastics by marine organisms is an increasing global trend due to the increase of these polymers in the oceans (e.g., Lusher et al., 2013; Besseling et al., 2015; Lusher et al., 2015; Lusher et al., 2018; Ostle et al., 2019; Neto et al., 2020). After reaching marine ecosystems, plas tics can be found either in their large original size (i.e., macroplastic) or in small fragments (i.e., nanoplastics, microplastics, or mesoplastics) (Azevedo-Santos et al., 2019). Thus, the interaction of plastic debris with marine life is expected, and their ingestion has been documented in a wide range of marine organisms, including zooplankton, bivalves, fish, turtles, birds, and marine mammals (Azzarello and Van-Vleet, 1987; Lusher et al., 2015; Romero et al., 2015; Egbeocha et al., 2018). There are several possible reasons for the consumption of plastic debris by marine fish, includ ing mistaking plastic for food because the odor of plastic in the sea is like that of food (Savoca et al., 2017), confusing it with prey species associated with floating plastic material while feeding on them, and preying on smaller organisms that have previously ingested plastics (Possato et al., 2011; Varghese et al., 2013 Institute of Oceanography of the University of Sao Paulo (IOUSP) Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES):7,546/13-0 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion