Journal Article
Historically low microplastic loads within white bream ( Blicca bjoerkna ) in the Marmara basin, Türkiye
Irmak Kurtul; Ben Parker; Esra Bayçelebi; Münevver Oral Kaba; Cüneyt Kaya; Tanju Mutlu; Sencer Akalın; Kenan Gedik; Phillip J. Haubrock; Ali Serhan Tarkan; J. Robert Britton
Journal of Fish Biology · Vol. 107, Issue 4 · pp. 1454-1459 · 2025
Abstract
Assessment of 154 white bream Blicca bjoerkna specimens collected between 1963 and 2004 from Manyas and Uluabat lake, northwest Türkiye, revealed that only 3.2% of fish were contaminated with microplastics, with a mean incidence and standard error of 0.04 ± 0.02 particles. Black fibres and white fragments were spectroscopically confirmed as polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate. Contamination status (contaminated/uncontaminated) of individuals was unrelated to Fulton's condition factor, lake, sampling year and sex. Results thus highlight the utility of historical collection specimens in assessing temporal microplastic contamination within freshwater fishes.