Microplastics study in Vlora Bay: an overview of the status quo for new environmental policies

Albania is considered one of the countries with the highest percentage of untreated plastic waste. The microplastics studies represent a gap in the overall studies in Albania, with limited information referring to the sea. In a collaboration between the Agricultural University of Tirana and the University of Camerino in Italy, we are working on the identification of microplastics in 4 sites in Vlora Bay, where is located the marine protected area of Karaburun-Sazani, using the methodology of box grabber for the seabed sediments, manta net for the water column, direct sampling for the coastal sediment, and fishing in collaboration with small-scale fishers for the common sole (Solea solea). The study aims to have a general overview of the situation of the microplastics in Vlora Bay, the microorganisms associated with, and the microplastic presence in fish intestine. The applied methodology respects the protocols of the used tools, try to work on the correlation of previous scientific work in Adriatic Sea and translate them into a proposal of mitigation strategies for the plastic pollution. Samplings are planned for June and late August 2024 and 2025. From the preliminary assessment done in October 2023 and February 2024 with the manta net, by fishing of the common sole, and by direct sampling on the seacoast, it was possible to identify presence of microplastics in the sediments, in the intestine of the Solea solea, and in the materials collected by the manta net. Regarding the microplastic-associated microorganisms to be assessed by metagenomics in comparison with those of the total sediment, a protocol for DNA extraction and quantification was set up. Given the atmospheric parameters when this preliminary sampling was executed, we expect that the abundance of data will be higher during the full sampling seasons, including late spring and summer. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/557558/document