Microplastic Pollution at Different Trophic Levels of Freshwater Fish in a Variety of Türkiye`s Lakes and Dams

Information on the occurrence of microplastic (MP; particles smaller than 5 mm) in freshwater fish biota in the Türkiye is limited. In this study, the microplastic contaminations of seven fish species (Cyprinus carpio, Carassius gibelio, Alburnus spp., Scardinius erythrophthalmus, Vimba vimba, Neogobius fluviatilis, and Perca fluviatilis) collected from Lake Manyas, Lake Uluabat, Lake Gala, Lake Gökgöl, Alaçatı Dam, Beydağ Dam, Tahtalı Dam, and Karaidemir Dam were examined. A total of 610 MP particles were extracted from the gastrointestinal systems of all fish species (n: 406). The ingested MPs were only fibers with the dominant plastic color being blue. The length of microplastics ranged from 0.10 to 4.85 mm. Mean MP length size in C. carpio species 1.40±0.90 mm, in C. gibelio species 1.32±0.88 mm, in Alburnus spp. 1.23±0.90 mm, in S. erythrophthalmus species 0.94±0.79 mm, in V. vimba species 1.11±0.69 mm, in P. fluviatilis species 1.34±0.89 mm, in N. fluviatilis species 1.25±0.97 mm. Among the studied species, the most fiber microplastic was found in P. fluviatilis. According to habitat and feeding features the highest number of microplastics was found in benthopelagic and invertivore fish. This data is anticipated to form the basis for new research and decision-making processes.