Oil spills deal deadly blows to marine ecosystem

KOCHI:

Oil spills

can deliver deadly blow for marine life in the state and the fishing community which depends on the resource for livelihood.

Any oil spill, apart from

marine biodiversity

will also affect birds which have a symbiotic relation with sea. The flow of the current and winds will decide the intensity and the spatial area of the damage, say marine experts.

“For at least six months marine life from that area cannot be caught or consumed. The presence of oil on these life forms will have a toxic effect,” said P Kaladharan, principal scientist, fisheries environment management division, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

Scientists from the CMFRI are evaluating the damage on marine life following the oil slick off Chennai.

Several factors play a role on the extent of damage caused by an oil spill, including quantity of the oil spilled, the type of oil, and the oceanographic and meteorological conditions of the area where the spill occurs.

The first to be affected in the ecosystem are the primary producers, such as phyto are the primary producers, such as phytoplankton, which is at the base of the marine food chain. The gills of the fish are clogged by the oil, preventing their movement and leading to their death. In case of clams and mussels, the tar particles get deposited in the mantles of these organisms, arresting their respiration. It also affects mangroves, coral reef ecosystems and the nursery grounds of many marine aquatic animals.

“If the slick happens after 2pm near the coastal waters, we will be able to contain it better as the current will be flowing from North to South and the slick will be pushed towards the coast, of course depending on the type of crude. The source of the crude can be traced even if the ship tries to get away through `hydrocarbon fingerprinting We can identify whether it's from a rig o from the Gulf or any other region through chemically testing the oil," he said.

Experts say that beach sanitation would have to be done to ensure that nobody ventures into the beach till the oil traces are removed by a suction process. The remain of the crude would become tar balls or pellet after reacting with the saline water. Kaladharan said oil spills would also harm algae sea weeds and mussels. Marine mammal which come to the surface to breathe will end up with oil on their respiratory tracts This could kill the organisms.