Fish Embryos Damaged by Oil (IMAGE)

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

Fish Embryos Damaged by Oil

Caption

Normal fish embryos, left, and fish embryos showing the classic symptoms of crude oil toxicity: a curved spine, small jaw and eyes, and fluid accumulation around the heart. Research by NOAA Fisheries scientists and others has shown that oil exposures at levels lower than the those producing the visible (and lethal) defects shown here can cause permanent changes in the shape of the heart, reducing cardiac capacity and increasing the likelihood of delayed mortality later in life.

Credit

Mark Carls and John Incardona/NOAA

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