Coastal fisheries are central to Pacific Island nutrition, livelihoods and cultural identity, yet growing microplastic contamination threatens food security and public health. This study integrates fishers’ knowledge of locally important coastal fish species with empirical measurements of microplastic loads to identify priority taxa for monitoring across Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Interviews with 110 fishers documented commonly caught species, and the number of times each taxon was reported was calculated. Family-level catch data and mean microplastic loads were each standardised between 0 and 1 to generate Catch and Microplastic Scores, which were multiplied to create an Exposure Index reflecting both social relevance and contamination levels. Regionally, Lethrinidae and Scombridae had the highest Exposure Index values, while Acanthuridae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae and Serranidae emerged as country-specific priorities. Gendered fishing patterns revealed differences in catch, influencing potential exposure pathways and highlighting the need for gender-disaggregated data in future assessments. This approach of combining local knowledge with contamination studies offers a replicable, regionally-grounded method for identifying key indicator species for future microplastic monitoring. Species within the Lethrinidae family, particularly Lethrinus harak, stand out as regional priorities because of their importance to subsistence and artisanal fisheries, exposure to microplastics and consistent occurrence across the region.
Ford A.K., Kitolelei S., Varea R., Stockwell B., Botleng J.V., Molitaviti J.B., Alefaio S., Kaitu L.P., Nivaga L., Brown K., Morris C., Drova E., Fe’ao S. and Dehm J. (2026) A community-informed microplastic exposure index based on Pacific Island fisheries: Integrating local knowledge with empirical data. Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures 4: e8. 10.1017/cft.2026.10027
@article{Ford2026,
Title = {A community-informed microplastic exposure index based on Pacific Island fisheries: Integrating local knowledge with empirical data},
Author = {Ford, Amanda Kirsty and Kitolelei, Salanieta and Varea, Rufino and Stockwell, Brian and Botleng, Joycinette Vosumbe and Molitaviti, June Brian and Alefaio, Semese and Kaitu, Lotokufaki Paka and Nivaga, Lavata and Brown, Kelly and Morris, Cherie and Drova, Eseta and Fe’ao, Siutiti and Dehm, Jasha},
Journal = {Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures},
Year = {2026},
Pages = {e8},
Volume = {4},
Doi = {10.1017/cft.2026.10027},
Abstract = {Coastal fisheries are central to Pacific Island nutrition, livelihoods and cultural identity, yet growing microplastic contamination threatens food security and public health. This study integrates fishers’ knowledge of locally important coastal fish species with empirical measurements of microplastic loads to identify priority taxa for monitoring across Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Interviews with 110 fishers documented commonly caught species, and the number of times each taxon was reported was calculated. Family-level catch data and mean microplastic loads were each standardised between 0 and 1 to generate Catch and Microplastic Scores, which were multiplied to create an Exposure Index reflecting both social relevance and contamination levels. Regionally, Lethrinidae and Scombridae had the highest Exposure Index values, while Acanthuridae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae and Serranidae emerged as country-specific priorities. Gendered fishing patterns revealed differences in catch, influencing potential exposure pathways and highlighting the need for gender-disaggregated data in future assessments. This approach of combining local knowledge with contamination studies offers a replicable, regionally-grounded method for identifying key indicator species for future microplastic monitoring. Species within the Lethrinidae family, particularly Lethrinus harak, stand out as regional priorities because of their importance to subsistence and artisanal fisheries, exposure to microplastics and consistent occurrence across the region.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Ford, Amanda Kirsty
AU - Kitolelei, Salanieta
AU - Varea, Rufino
AU - Stockwell, Brian
AU - Botleng, Joycinette Vosumbe
AU - Molitaviti, June Brian
AU - Alefaio, Semese
AU - Kaitu, Lotokufaki Paka
AU - Nivaga, Lavata
AU - Brown, Kelly
AU - Morris, Cherie
AU - Drova, Eseta
AU - Fe’ao, Siutiti
AU - Dehm, Jasha
TI - A community-informed microplastic exposure index based on Pacific Island fisheries: Integrating local knowledge with empirical data
T2 - Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures
PY - 2026
SP - e8
VL - 4
DO - 10.1017/cft.2026.10027
AB - Coastal fisheries are central to Pacific Island nutrition, livelihoods and cultural identity, yet growing microplastic contamination threatens food security and public health. This study integrates fishers’ knowledge of locally important coastal fish species with empirical measurements of microplastic loads to identify priority taxa for monitoring across Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Interviews with 110 fishers documented commonly caught species, and the number of times each taxon was reported was calculated. Family-level catch data and mean microplastic loads were each standardised between 0 and 1 to generate Catch and Microplastic Scores, which were multiplied to create an Exposure Index reflecting both social relevance and contamination levels. Regionally, Lethrinidae and Scombridae had the highest Exposure Index values, while Acanthuridae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae and Serranidae emerged as country-specific priorities. Gendered fishing patterns revealed differences in catch, influencing potential exposure pathways and highlighting the need for gender-disaggregated data in future assessments. This approach of combining local knowledge with contamination studies offers a replicable, regionally-grounded method for identifying key indicator species for future microplastic monitoring. Species within the Lethrinidae family, particularly Lethrinus harak, stand out as regional priorities because of their importance to subsistence and artisanal fisheries, exposure to microplastics and consistent occurrence across the region.
ER -
