Oil Impairs Ability of Coral Reef Fish to Find Homes and Evade Predators

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 69%. (I'm a bot)

AUSTIN, Texas - Just as one too many cocktails can lead a person to make bad choices, a few drops of oil can cause coral reef fish to make poor decisions, according to a paper published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

A team of fisheries biologists led by Jacob Johansen and Andrew Esbaugh of The University of Texas Marine Science Institute have discovered that oil impacts the higher-order thinking of coral reef fish in a way that could prove dangerous for them-and for the coral reefs where they make their home.

Examining six different species of coral reef fish, Johansen and the team found that exposure to oil consistently affected behavior in ways that put the fish at risk.

Oil concentrations are found in oceans worldwide, but until now little has been known about the impact of oil exposure on coral reef fish.

"Still, many governments continue to allow industrial activities, including oil drilling and exploration, in sensitive reef habitats. If a spill were to occur, this study suggests there could be major consequences for the fish, for coral reefs and for people working in fisheries and tourism."

Exposure to these oil concentrations caused higher rates both of immediate death and more latent death, in addition to the behavioral shifts and cognitive changes in coral reef fish.

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