Microplastic Content in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Some Fish Species of Lake Kubenskoe (Vologda Oblast)

Quantitative assessment of microplastic content in the gastrointestinal tract of perch, roach and bream of Kubenskое Lake in the Vologda region was conducted. Microplastics were detected in 60% of bream specimens and 43% of perch specimens. No plastic microparticles were found in the gastrointestinal tract of the roach. It was found average number of microplastic particles was 1.6 ± 0.4 items per individual of bream, and 4.2 ± 1.4 items of microplastic per individual of perch. Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of fish were mainly represented by fibers with a small proportion of fragments and films. No significant differences (р 0.05) in the content of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of benthivorous (bream) and euryphage (perch) were found. The data obtained are the first evidence of the presence of microplastics in fish of the Vologda Oblast water bodies.