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The Assessment of the Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Key Fish Species from the Bulgarian Aquatory of the Black Sea
Summary
Researchers found microplastics in the soft tissues of five commercially important Black Sea fish species collected off the Bulgarian coast, with polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate as the dominant polymer types. Pellets were the most common particle shape, found across all specimens regardless of species. The results indicate significant microplastic contamination in a major regional seafood source, raising concerns about the potential for plastics to move up the food chain and reach people who consume these fish.
The accumulation of microplastics in the world oceans is one of the main global problems of the modern world. The Black Sea is the main source of seafood for people from several countries, including Bulgaria. The pollution of the Black sea is a result of various factors, especially anthropogenic. The present study demonstrated detailed MPs contamination of five fish species important for the commercial fishing (Garfish, Мullet, Knout goby, Pontic shad and Mediterranean horse mackerel) collected from the Sozopol area on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Within each microplastic morphological group, three size classes were recognized: 100-200 µm, 25-100 µm, and ≤ 25 µm. Microplastics were found in the soft tissues of all studied specimens but in a different ratio of pellets, fibers and fragments. Generally, the pellets were the most often registered particles, followed by irregularly-shaped fragments, whereas fibers were less numerous. The dominant part of the isolated plastics are made of polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Our results pointed out serious pollution with plastic particles in the Bulgarian Black Sea aquatory, which in the future may seriously affect the health of the fish population and also human health.