A review on water quality and its impact on Fish health

Abstract

Potentially harmful substances e.g. pesticides, heavy metals and hydrocarbons are often released into the aquatic environment. When large quantities of pollutants are released there may be an immediate impact as measured by large-scale sudden mortalities of aquatic organisms, e.g. fish kills resulting from contamination of water ways with agricultural pesticides. Lower levels of discharge may result in an accumulation of the pollutants in aquatic organisms. The end results, which may occur long after the pollutants have passed through the environment, include immunosuppressant, reduced metabolism, and damage to gills and epithelia. The absorption and accumulation of different pollutants vary among different biological systems. Therefore, the aims of this review article are to highlighten the impact of the water quality on fish health and the possible control methods. There is now a real need to study the interrelationships between the pollution of surface waters by a wide range of chemicals and diseases in natural fish populations, and the processes involved. This represents an important but at present under-developed field of scientific research and fisheries management.