Feeding Habits and the Occurrence of Anthropogenic Debris in the Stomach Content of Marine Fish from Pattani Bay, Gulf of Thailand

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In this work, the feeding behaviour of fish from a natural bay environment and the ingested anthropogenic fragments in a fish community in relation to their feeding habits and habitats were investigated. The identification of 34 fish species and analysis of their stomach content by visual inspection were carried out. The ingestion of anthropogenic debris by fish differed between season and their feeding features. The planktivorous fish having higher ingestion of anthropogenic debris than other species were found. The study results enhance the understanding of the spatiotemporal variation of feeding habits of fish communities and support future alerts relating to the risk of anthropogenic pollution in marine food webs. ABSTRACT: This study assessed the feeding habits and ingestion of anthropogenic debris in 34 marine fish species from the southern Gulf of Thailand. A total of 5478 fish samples of 12 families were categorised into seven groups: planktivore, Lucifer feeder, fish feeder, Acetes feeder, shrimp feeder, piscivore, and zoobenthivore fish. A total of 2477 anthropogenic debris items were extracted from 12 fish species by visual inspection. Their ingestion of anthropogenic debris was influenced by season (p < 0.0001), with the highest ingestion during the northeast monsoon season. Furthermore, planktivorous fish displayed more ingested anthropogenic debris than the other investigated species (p = 0.022). Blue-coloured anthropogenic debris was commonly detected in the stomachs of fish and significantly differed between species (p > 0.001). Water depth and season significantly influenced the availability of food types (AF) for fish (p < 0.001). These findings provide evidence of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by fish inhabiting a natural bay and signal the future anthropogenic pollution of marine fish.