A Review on the Effects of Crude Oil Spill on Aquatic Life (Fish) in The Niger Delta, Nigeria (Published)
The discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in the Niger Delta was echoes of riches and wealth to the region and the country, Nigeria but the Niger Delta environment and aquatic ecosystems suffers great anthropogenic pollutions to its biodiversity: birds, animals, plants and crops; fishes and wildlife. This article has reviewed the effects of crude oil spill on the aquatic life (fish) in the Niger Delta, examining cases of oil spill incidences, impacts of oil exploration and exploitation on the environment, management of oil spill on living aquatic resources; biomagnification and threat to biodiversity and food security. It also examined the extent of crude oil removal techniques, and finally proffer possible mitigations and compensations for oil spills incidences in the Niger Delta. We are left with a great question: can gas flaring and illegal refineries be stopped, in the Niger Delta? The Niger Delta waters and the aquatic biodiversity should be protected; the government and multi-national oil companies should launch a clean-up programme on the affected areas/the region, and the management of spills (both of catastrophic and local dimensions) will play a leading role by enacting and enforcing stringent environmental laws that will protect the oil producing communities/areas. Government should be able to identify natural resources (such as wetlands and coastal zones) in Nigeria and monetary investment in environmental protection of vulnerable areas should be seriously looked into.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Bioremediation, Fish, Mitigation, Pollution, Wetland, aquatic resources, biomagnification
A Review on the Effects of Plastic Debris on Aquatic Life (Fish and Wildlife) in Aquatic Ecosystems (Published)
The deleterious effects of plastic debris on the aquatic environments were reviewed by bringing together most of the literatures published so far on the effects of plastic debris on freshwater and marine lives (fish and wildlife) upon their exposures to the various forms of plastic debris littered by man. Addressing the problem of plastic debris in the ocean is a difficult task but its mitigation is urgently needed. A variety of approaches are required to save the world’s biodiversity from going into extinction. Some of the ways to mitigate the menace are: domestic assemblage and reuse of plastics, recycling of plastics items at the end of its life span, for the reuse in its new production, collection of plastics by hiring children to hand pick plastic waste from the environment for reuse and recycling. Biodegradable plastics should be produced more on the local than the global scale with a marked reduction in the use of plastic packaging.
Citation: Igbani Flourizel; Ayo Grace Opeoluwa and Ikponmwen Efe Gideon (2021) A Review on the Effects of Plastic Debris on Aquatic Life (Fish and Wildlife) in Aquatic Ecosystems, International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research, Vol.9, No.3 pp.51-60
Keywords: Biodiversity, Fish, Pollution, aquatic ecosystems, biomagnification, wildlife