The effect of pollutants on sensory systems and behaviour of aquatic animals

A wide variety of pollutants (for example, heavy metals, organic compounds such as pesticides, hydrocarbons and oil dispersants, radioactive materials, excessive nutrients, acids, litter, silt, temperature and explosions) can influence the function of sense organs, and so influence behaviour by reducing or changing sensory information reaching the brain. Experiments show that so-called sublethal effects of pollutants occur at much lower concentration thresholds than lethal effects, yet subethal effects may well be lethal in the long term. Although a considerable amount of work has been done on marine invertebrates, practically all the work on fish is on freshwater species.