The fish is genetically modified for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

The popular fish in the swamp in Louisiana, USA, has been deformed and may not reproduce normally due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year.

Research done by Louisiana University scientists (LSU) shows that killifish is affected by the incident. The study was published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences.

This finding contradicts many people's thinking about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill does not have much impact on marine life in Louisiana.

If, in the past, studies aimed at measuring oil pollution, this time, scientists focused on changes in the killifish gene of pollution. During the study, the scientists realized the "underneath" effects for killifish.

According to scientists, the fish's cysts, intestines and cardiovascular organs were damaged, their size was also smaller than normal."The fish are severely damaged, the physiological and reproductive functions of this fish show signs of decline , " said Fernando Galvez, a biologist at LSU, on the AP.

Andrew Whitehead, LSU genome researcher, said: "Seafood in Louisiana is perfectly normal. But if the biological study of this fish is sure they are affected when exposed to oil and this will affect the number of killifish species ".

According to Bernard Rees, a fish physiologist from New Orleans University, the work shows the important relationship between oil pollution and physiological effects. But he said it was too early to warn about the long-term harms or effects because "nature is always able to recover itself and we have to wait and consider the number of fish species , " said Bernard Rees. note.

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill occurred in April last year. According to the US Natural Resources Protection Council, the oil spill lasted 87 days with an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled, causing serious pollution in swamp areas and The east coast of the United States ranges in length to 1,700km, and causes more than 6,000 birds to die.