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It clogs there gills then they suffocate.
Oil is very poisonous and toxic. Not only does it cover and coat the gills suffocating fish and other species, but long term effects are still not really understood. If oil is spilled along the coastal shore or dumped where it can drain into rivers, fish and other aquatic animals can suffer long term illness, birth defects, and with direct exposure they can and do often die. Birds are effected by oil spills as well as fish, and the oil travels up the food chain.

Krill and other food eaten by fish, or further down the food chain are also affected. Generally their populations are lowered, creating food shortages for fish.

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14y ago

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