Assessment of Organic Pollutants Accumulation in Fish from Maritsa River Basin (Bulgaria)

Two selected fish species were sampled from 5 sites within the Maritsa River Basin in the period 2013-2014 with the aim to assess the effects of pesticide industry and intensive agriculture. Sampling sites were located in the middle of the Maritsa River Basin (near Plovdiv City, Bulgaria) and the watersheds of the Chepelarska and Stryama Rivers. Methods for analysis of certain priority substances and specific pollutants were applied in order to establish trends in the accumulation in fish, as required by the Directive 2008/60/EC and Directive 2008/105/EC. The reported data for organic pollutants are the first for the studied river basin. The selection of indicators (priority substances and specific pollutants) provides particular guidelines for planning future monitoring for assessment of river chemical and ecological status.