Assessing the Effects of Microplastics on Freshwater Fish

Microplastics are formed through the breakdown of engineering products in consumer goods and large plastic products. These anthropogenic pollutants accumulate globally in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. Nowadays, people use personal care products a lot, and microplastics formed through the decomposition of the packaging of these products spread to the land and water ecosystems, and many living things come into contact with them. Studies have made the presence of microplastics in body parts such as the gastrointestinal tract and stomach, especially in marine and freshwater fish. It can cause physical harm in fish such as internal organ and tissue damage, immune system damage, accumulation, obstruction and damage in the gastrointestinal tract. Increasing evidence shows that a wide range of fish species are susceptible to microplastic ingestion. Already to many criteria such as overfishing, habitat loss, and the increasing number of invasive fish, the negative effects of microplastics will cause fish populations to decrease and some species to become extinct. It is known that plastic pollution, especially about increasing plastic production, poses a great threat to humans, aquatic creatures, and the global environment. Therefore, to draw attention to the danger of microplastics, in this study, the conducted research was examined, the effects of microplastics were reviewed, and the study results were evaluated. In this study, all articles searching microplastics and the amount of microplastics in freshwater fish were systematically examined. 25 studies were found that included the criteria we were looking for, and in these studies, the presence of microplastics was detected in a total of 100 fish species.