February 12,
2019 by Michael Addelman, University of Manchester
University
of Manchester scientists are at the forefront of the fight to protect cold
water fish from the effects of crude oil spills from offshore oil rigs.
Dr. Holly
Shiels and Ph.D. student Martins Ainerua are working off the coast of Norway
with Dr. Elin Sørhus of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research to
understand how the oil impacts on hearts of cod and halibut.
As the heart is the first
organ to develop in fish larvae its good heath is crucial for survival of the
animals into adulthood, say the team.
Two projects
– known as 'Eggtox' - and 'PW(produced water)exposed', could provide vital
information for oil companies who want to construct rigs in parts of the North
Sea which are known to be key spawning grounds for these important fisheries.
The team
also hope to understand the mechanisms of crude oil toxicity on the electrical
and contractile properties of the fish heart.
They have
been working in the electrophysiology lab at Austevoll station on the South
West coast of Norway, investigating how various oil components affect the
electrical activity of the juvenile cod and halibut hearts.
"We
know from disastrous crude oil spills like DeepWater Horizon, that components
of oil negatively affects hearts of larval and juvenile fish. But it is
possible the Produced Water used in oil drilling –
which is released even in the absence of a spill—may
impact fish stocks. And this is especially a worry in areas where drilling
occurs in spawning grounds as the eggs and tiny larvae are unprotected,"
says Dr. Holly Shiels.
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