Häder DP (2021)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2021
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
ISBN: 9783030756024
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-75602-4_3
Fish are an increasing major food supply for most human populations derived from freshwater and marine fishing and aquaculture. Fish and other marine organisms are threatened by a plethora of environmental stress factors such as acidification, global climate change and solar UV radiation. In addition to overfishing, many types of pollution decimate the amount of available fish production. Heavy metal pollution is a major threat in freshwater habitats, such as lakes and rivers, as well as in coastal ecosystems. Mercury is a notorious toxin which has been found to be responsible for fish loss and food poisoning. Persistent organic pollutants enter the sea by terrestrial run-off and are carried by rivers or transported through the air. These substances include flame retardants, fluorinated polymers, and perfluoroalkyl compounds, which are found in the water column and the sediment. Pesticides such as herbicides and insecticides also reach aqueous habitats by terrestrial run-off. They tend to bioaccumulate in the food web and are found in fish and mammals used for human consumption. Crude oil contamination from ship wrecks or oil platform disasters add to accidental spills and seepage from natural sources. Hydrocarbon components are toxic to the environment and pose persistent threats for the health of humans and animals. Also, the dispersants used to facilitate the dissolution of oil in the water are toxic to the biota. Pharmaceuticals and drugs are usually not removed in wastewater treatment plants and reach downstream rivers and are discharged into the ocean. Plastic pollution has developed over the last 70 years. The debris accumulates on land and is transported by wind and rivers to marine ecosystems. Broken down by mechanical forces and UV on the beach, the resulting microplastic is a persistent pollutant in the water and in the sediment affecting microorganisms. The debris is bioaccumulated in the food web and finally found in fish, birds and mammals.
APA:
Häder, D.-P. (2021). Effects of pollution on fish. Springer International Publishing.
MLA:
Häder, Donat-Peter. Effects of pollution on fish. Springer International Publishing, 2021.
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