The First Report of Microplastics in Freshwater Benthopelagic Fish Species Barbus Cyri De Filippi, 1865 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) (Igdir, Türkiye)

In the present study, microplastic (MP) ingestion by Barbus cyri fish species found in the Acıçay Stream was investigated. In this context, Microplastics (171 MPs: 59.6 % gastrointestinal tract, and 40.4 % gills) were detected in this fish species’ different tissues. The average abundance of MP was found to be 11.33 ± 3.71 MP items/individual in the gastrointestinal tract tissue and 7.67 ± 2.96 MP items/individual in the gills. The most dominant shape of detected microplastics in fish tissues is fragment (59.8%) and most dominant color is black (58.8 %). Additionally, the dominant sizes of MPs in fish samples were determined as 200-500 µm in intestinal tissue and 50-200 µm in gill tissues. The dominant polymer was ethylene propylene (48.6 %). The results of this study provide supply fundamental data for the management of MPs in fish species in freshwater systems and for taking the necessary precautions.