Microplastic Occurrence in the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) from northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Authors : Ece KILIÇ, Nebil YÜCEL, Cemal TURAN

Pages : 200-213

Doi:10.28978/nesciences.1159300

View : 20 | Download : 12

Publication Date : 2022-08-08

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Nowadays, the majority of marine debris consists of microplastic particles. For that reason, microplastic pollution in marine environments and its potential impacts on marine animals has been extensively studied. This study was developed to investigate the bioindicator potential of Pterois miles insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Bennett, 1828); for the monitoring of microplastic pollution. A totally, 21 individuals were sampled from Iskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean Sea on April 2022, and their gastrointestinal tracts were examined for microplastic occurrence. Mean microplastic abundance was found as 2.06±1.88 particles/individual in positive samples and 1.47±1.83 particles/individual in total samples. The microplastic detection rate was estimated as 71%. In terms of color, black insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(55%);, blue insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(32%);, red insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(10%); and brown insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(3%); microplastic particles were detected. Among all, the majority of the extracted particles were fiber in shape insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(93%); and followed by fragments insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(7%);. The high frequency of detection and microplastic abundance estimated in this study showed that this specie could be used to monitor microplastic pollution in marine environments.
Keywords : Plastic debris, Iskenderun Bay, red lion fish, microplastic pollution