Morphological and Molecular Identification of Biofilm Forming Fungi from Fish Farms and Fish Benches in Aydın Province

Biofilm formation is one of the major problems in many industries. The marine environment is rich in nutrients for microbial growth. It also makes it easier for microorganisms to form biofilms. This study aims to identify biofilm-forming fungi in the marine environment and assess their ability to form biofilm. We identified biofilm-forming fungi species using morphological and molecular methods. ITS regions were used for molecular identification. The qualitative assessment of biofilms was carried out using the Petri dish method, and quantitative measurements of biofilms were carried out using the microplate method. We identified 69 isolates; 37 were yeast, and 32 of them were fungi. Only ten of them were found to have biofilm. Most of them were adherents, and only two of them were strong adherents. Biofilms can have positive or negative effects on fish health. Identifying biofilm-forming agents will help us identify the nature of the effect. Microorganisms that have positive effects can be used as biocontrol agents.