To survive, the Marine Ecosystem must maintain a delicate balance of relationships between species. The health of such an ecosystem can be easily upset by the smallest alteration.
For example, when fertilizers from nearby farms runoff into lakes and oceans, algae begins to flourish. One would think that such a bloom of algae, which is the main food source for many animals living there, would be a positive addition to the ecosystem. However, One cannot foresee the untended consequences until they occur. The algae causes the increase of these species which means the carnivorous animals that eat them become well fed and also increase in population. But soon, they eat all of the herbivores and overpopulate the area. Because of this overpopulation and lack of prey, these animals die out as well. In the end, that leaves the ecosystem animal-less.
But wait, there’s more. After the animals die out, the algae is free to flourish once again.
What damage can some harmless algae do now? One would think, I’m sure, though animal-less, the ecosystem is now fairly safe and stable.
Well, One would be wrong. The algae consumes the nutrients in the water to survive, but because there aren’t enough animals to replenish this nutrient supply, the algae, along with most of the other plants in the area, dies out quickly as well. Now the area is animal-less and plant-less.
But wait, there’s more.
The decaying process needs oxygen and as the large amount of dead algae decays, it takes lots of oxygen from the water, thereby killing many of the surviving plants and animals.
Whoa.
Though this was simply meant as an example of the delicate balance of nature, it’s also a great jumping off point for the section about the positive and negative health impacts of seafood.
These algal blooms, as they are called, not only kill the animals nearby, they also harm the animals in a “safe” distance. Fish that have been subjected to a harmful algal bloom (HAB) often start producing natural toxins that harm themselves and others around them.
As the wise and mystical Joni Mitchell says, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”