Fish Pollution – Its Causes And Consequences

Water pollution can affect the health of waterways as well as affect the health of all organisms that live in and around waterways. Excessive pollution can kill all marine life including fish. Fish pollution can cause deformities in fish and even lead to their death. Any detrimental effect on the health of fish would eventually affect the health of humans as fish is the staple food of many people.

Water pollution is mainly due to anthropogenic activities such as the excessive emission of carbon dioxide in the form of smoke, oil pollution, and acid rains. Smoke emission from car exhausts has become a big source of pollution. If this pollution is not cut down to its minimum, the amount of fish and other creatures would decrease drastically.

Even though smoke pollution caused by cars might not go directly to the oceanic depths, it ends up as acid rain. This acid rain comprises the smoke pollutant that mixes up with rain and makes it acidic in nature. When this acidified rain pours into the ocean, it pollutes the waters and over time kills many species of fish.

Even normal rain pollutes ocean waters. As it rains, the water runs off the land and picks up pollutants, garbage, silt and dirt, eventually carrying all these into water. After the silt and dirt settles in the water body into which they have entered, they keep the sunlight from reaching aquatic plants. As a result, these plants die leading to the death of many species of fish that live off these plants. Pollution and sediments can also clog the gills of fish and smother organisms which live in the depths of water bodies.

Pollutants such as detergents, phosphate, and nitrogen and oil from lead and fertilizers have had a tremendous impact on the ecosystem, especially in rivers and oceans. Pollution of oceans can wreak havoc on the balance of ecology by stimulating the growth of toxic plants and cause the death of fish. Due to lack of oxygen, fish can suffocate to death. As the cycle of oxygen stops, the polluted water would also affect the animals that are dependent on that water source.

Oil spilled by ships into the water affects fish in more than one way. Fish die if they ingest the oil spilled by anthropogenic activities. Many fish also die due to eating prey that is contaminated by pollutants. Oil leaves a sticky film on the surface of water which in turn kills fish, as they stop getting oxygen and die of short breath.

The pipes from factories that drain chemicals into various water bodies have added to the deaths of many species of fish. Pollution caused by chemicals warm water bodies and decreases the amount of oxygen which is essential for the survival of all aquatic creatures. Only an effort made on the part of humans would be able to stop the aquatic race from extinction.

Fish pollution disturbs the balance of the entire ecosystem and therefore also the food chain. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to curb our tendencies to increase pollution.