Microplastic pollution in a small fishing port in Zonguldak/Türkiye

Abstract

In this study, the occurrence and morphology of microplastics in a small fishing port in the Black Sea were determined by bulk sampling and visually analyzed by a stereo microscope. Three sampling campaigns were carried out, two of which were after the opening of the legal fishing season. The average abundance of the microplastics was found to be 3417+1401 items/ m3. The determined microplastic concentration was 1.43 times higher on the day of the most intense fishing activities. No statistically significant differences were observed for the different sampling locations (coast, middle, and seaside). The most frequent microplastic colors observed were blue, followed by black, green, red, white and grey, while fibers represented the dominant shape. The prevalent size of microplastics was <50 µm which makes it easy to ingest by even the smaller fishes and introduce into the food chain as well. However the NP value which shows the bioavailability of microplastic was calculated as 0.72 indicating a low bioavailability (≤2).