Deaf fish because of the acidic sea

Ocean acidification not only makes many fish lose their sense of smell, but also loses the ability to hear and react to the noise emitted by predatory enemies.

Since the Industrial Revolution, more than half of the CO2 produced by fossil fuel combustion has been absorbed by the ocean, causing the pH of the sea to fall at a rapid rate not seen in the last 650,000 years.

Clown fish (Photo : petrostime.vn ).

The team at the Department of Biology at the University of Bristol ( UK) studies the impact of ocean acidification by feeding a number of small clownfish in water tanks with varying acidity. In each tank, there is a loudspeaker that emits sounds that describe the sound of the opponent eating clown fish meat.

The results showed that, with normal CO ₂ levels in the water, clown fish evaded in 3/4 time. But when CO ₂ concentration increases, clown fish do not react even though the speakers still sound. " This proves that they cannot hear or decode warning signals, " said Professor Steve Simpson, the lead researcher.

In fact, clown fish rely on sound to avoid predators as well as find their mate and food. Therefore, this fish cannot survive if hearing loss is lost. Scientists continue to study why the change in acid content in seawater adversely affects the hearing of clown fish.