How Oil Spills Harm Fish
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Types and Effects of Oil Spills
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Two types of oils can be spilled in the ocean or near coastlines: refined oils and crude oil or bunker fuels. These will have vastly different effects on the surrounding wildlife. Refined oils can have chemicals such as benzine and polynuclear aromatics that pose a wide variety of toxic dangers and have been proven to be carcinogenic, causing cancer if the creature survives the original spill. These refined oils are highly toxic on first encounter but fade quickly from the environment.
Crude oil, more infamous in the realm of accidental spills and ocean life endangerment, is made of simpler compounds than its refined cousins. Because this oil is natural in origin and has not been chemically altered, environments and their inhabitants are able to deal with it more easily, including fish. However, while the danger posed by crude oil spills is less than that of refined oil, it tends to stay in water and on coastlines for longer periods of time, dissipating less quickly and increasing the chance of long-term ill effects. Weather conditions such as rain and wind have an important effect on where the oil goes and how long it stays.
Effects of Oil on Ocean Dwellers Other than Fish
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Large ocean dwellers, such as whales, do not often encounter oil spills. When they do, they can accidentally sift the oil through their baleen teeth filters, where the oil can clog the baleen and make it more difficult for the whales to feed. Because of the whales' size, they do not suffer immediate toxic damage from oil encounters like smaller swimmers do. For medium-sized ocean dwellers, such as dolphins, the oil can be more dangerous, and if the creatures do not detect and avoid the oil, they can inhale it (dolphins do this when they surface to breathe) and suffer confusion and possibly damage, such as weakening of their immune systems.
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Effects of Oil on Fish
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For the much more common smaller swimmers, such as fish, the oil has a different effect. There are of course many fish varieties, and specific toxic damage varies considerably from species to species. But for all fish, exposure to oil of eggs and newly born fish is often fatal. There is not much data available regarding the effects on grown fish, but we do know of several significant complications. Schools of fish may either avoid or be attracted to oil spills. Fish are extremely sensitive to water conditions and can sense the taint of oil in water, which in many cases causes them to avoid it. However, oil floats on the surface of the water and blocks out the sunlight, which can be attractive to fish looking to hide from predators. As fish congregate under oil spills, birds and other predators are also drawn to these places, creatures that can suffer direct damage from oil more easily.
For those in the fishing industry, there is the added complication of "tainted waters" resulting from an oil spill in fishing zones. Certain studies have shown decreased fish populations because of long-term oil exposure, and consumers do not want fish from possibly polluted areas. This leads to a loss of sales for people in the industry since fish from such areas are usually considered tainted even if they have no trace of oil in their systems.
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