Microplastic Occurrence in Mugil Cephalus

Microplastic (MP) ingestion by fish can not only impact the environment but also human health. This study determines the abundance and composition (polymer, shape, size) of MPs ingested by gray mullet (Mugil cephalus). A total of 30 specimens were purchased from local fish market collected from Lake Cernek located in Kızılırmak Delta, Türkiye by local fishermen. The digestive tracts of the fish were removed and digested with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to extract microplastics. The share of the contaminated fish with microplastics was 90%. The average microplastic abundance by individual and weight were 2.87±0.27 MP/ind and 0.014±0.001 MP/g respectively. The length, weight, and condition factor of the fish did not correlate with MP abundance (Spearman’s correlation, p > 0.05). Four different polymer types were determined in the digestive tract of the specimens. The composition of polymers consisted of 44.58% polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 34.94% polypropylene (PP), 10.84% polyethylene (PE), and 9.64% polyamide (PA). The determined shapes were fiber (67.47%), fragment (20.48%), and film (12.05%). The size range of MP particles was ranged between 132 μm to 4850 μm, and the average was 1522.45±131.22 μm.