Occurrence of anthropogenic particles in the fish Squalius cephalus from the Seine and Marne Rivers

Plastic pollution is a growing concern worldwide but was mainly focused on the marine environment. Few studies dealt with plastic pollution in lakes and rivers and the associated biota. In our study, we aimed to evaluate plastic occurrence in three target tissues (stomach contents, liver and muscle) of a wild freshwater fish (the chub Squalius cephalus) in the Seine and Marne Rivers. These rivers are under significant urban pressure with the Parisian conurbation (about 8 million of inhabitants) and low water flows. Several stations were sampled upstream and
downstream of Paris conurbation. Fish were dissected and the three tissues were degraded using previous validated protocol. Particles were isolated and were then analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. Preliminary results showed that plastic particles and other anthropogenic particles such as textile fibers were found in several guts at different stations. Observed fibers were made of plastic polymer, such as polyethylene terephthalate or polypropylene, or were probably cellulose, dyed with artificial pigments. Our preliminary results confirmed that S. cephalus ingested microplastics, mainly fibers, probably because of the contamination of the river water column.