IDENTIFICATION OF MICROPLASTIC CONTENT IN GONGGONG SNAILS (Laevistrombus turturella) ON PENYENGAT ISLAND TANJUNGPINANG CITY

Abstract

Penyengat Island is a tourist attraction located in the Penyengat Village of Tanjungpinang City, Riau Islands Province. As both a tourist destination and a maritime transportation route, it is susceptible to the influx of waste such as plastic waste into its waters. This study aims to determine the distribution and abundance of microplastics found in gonggong snails and sediments in the waters around Penyengat Island. The method used was purposive sampling for sample collection and site selection. The data obtained were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with a significance level of 5%. The highest microplastic abundance was found at station 1, located along the coastal area of Jalan Pelabuhan with concentrations (gonggong snails 3,80 ± 0,86 particles/g, sediment 1,03 ± 0,23 particles/g). The lowest microplastic concentration was found at Station 3, located along the coastline of Jalan Sumur (gonggong snails 1,60 ± 0,29, sediment: 0,44 ± 0,09). The most commonly found microplastic forms were fragments (gonggong snails 62,21%, sediment 58,93%) and films (gonggong snails 23,04%, sediment 30,98%). Meanwhile, the dominant colors at each station were black (gonggong snails 46,76%, sediment 45,60%) and transparent (gonggong snails 1,98%, sediment 22,66%). The high utilization of conch snails necessitates research on the microplastic content in conch snails and in the aquatic sediments where these sessile organisms live and forage.