A consortium of research institutes has developed a three year study, now in its second year, to assess of methods for measuring fish health, attempt to determine whether fish avoid contaminated waters and look at the longer term effects, if any, of dispersant treated oil on fish health.
The Centre for Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE, France), the Laboratoire des sciences de l’Environment MARin (LEMAR, France) and the Instituto per L’Ambiente Marino Costiero-Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche Oristano (IAMC-CNR Oristano, Italy) and the University of British Columbia (UBC, Canada) are cooperating on an International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) funded project exploring the impact of dispersant treated oil on fish health.
Researchers have already produced some valuable data regarding the effects of dispersants on fish. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the highly toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic components of fossil fuels. PAH levels in fish muscle rose in the first two days after exposure but fell quickly within a month. On the other hand, inability to tolerate low oxygen levels and reduced swimming ability persisted at the one-month mark and the combination of dispersant (Corexit 9500) and oil had greater impact than either product alone.
To evaluate long-term consequences of exposure to oil and dispersant these tests will be repeated several more times throughout the year. In addition to laboratory testing, field tests using sea water ponds that mimic tidal changes are in process. These studies have implications for other marine wildlife, in terms of their own exposure to the oil/dispersant combination and because many birds and mammals found in the sea rely on fish as their primary food source.
The ITOPF R&D Award grants funds each year for studies in many disciplines but gives preference to applied science projects in fields such as marine biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, economics and the like.