Aim: Residue analyses of drugs and metabolites in the aquaculture are regularly conducted under the National Residue Monitoring Plan in Turkey. However, the research on the impact of these residues on the aquatic environment is limited. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the residues of tetracycline group antibiotics in fishes caught around fish farms in the Muğla district.

Materials and Methods: Seventy fish samples collected from the vicinity of 70 different fish farms were used for analysis. Tetracycline residues in the fish were analyzed with the LC MS/MS method. Validation was performed with the criteria of specificity, linearity, recovery, precision and sensitivity.

Results: Recovery values were determined as follows: Oxytetracycline 100.5%, tetracycline 101.3%, chlortetracycline 99%, and doxycycline 100.5%. At the end of the analyses, no tetracycline antibiotic residues were found.

Conclusion: It can be expressed that no tetracycline residues were detected in the samples at the detectable limits is a satisfactory result in terms of public health and environment.