Are Local Fishing Grounds Healthy?


    Determining whether the local fishing grounds is healthy or not is based on the marine ecosystem. Marine ecosystems are seawater based and they are one of the largest ecosystems on the earth, having over 1 million discovered species living in them. Marine ecosystems are essential for human beings because it is the main source of fish, which is an important high-protein dietary food for humans and that is needed for their health and well-being; especially in Alexandria because it is right by the coast so fish is an instrumental value. Moreover, fish provide omega-3 fatty acids which is used for medicine and also has the lowest amount of fats compared to all the other animal proteins. (http://seafood.edf.org/benefits-eating-fish).   Also, marine ecosystem is a large source of oxygen and is contributory for clasping carbon dioxide. (Register search for an MPA  ExploreIntroductionTools and resourcesNews and ViewsSupport the project Protect Planet Ocean is about Marine Conservation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.protectplanetocean.org/collections/introduction/introbox/oceans/introduction-item.html) 

    Water pollution is a main issue in marine life; water pollution is when water bodies are degraded because pollutants get ousted into the water. Humans have a negative impact on marine ecosystems. For example, humans dump their wastes such as oils and industrial waste into the sea; they also swim, shower, and wash their unclean goods in the water. Other ways the marine is contaminated is from industrial wastes coming from agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, and fuels. A fair amount of fishing occurs in Alexandria; thus when fishermen are fishing using boats, gasoline and oils are being released into the water which harms the ecosystem. Moreover, humans also pollute the streets so when it rains the polluted water flows onto the sea. Here’s a video by Crash Course that eexplains how humans impact the ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eTCZ9L834s . Therefore the marine ecosystem gets vastly polluted. Algal bloom is a common result of water pollution. Algal blooms are a rapid increase in algae population; which releases toxins and is dangerous to all organisms living in the ocean. “Over the past decade, blue-green algal blooms, which sometimes turn toxic, have become an annual summer plague on Lake Erie. Some produce microcystin, a bacteria more poisonous than cyanide that can sicken or kill people, fish, birds, dogs and livestock.” (Harmful algal blooms continue to plague Lake Erie, threaten drinking water, fish, pets. (2017, August 30). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/08/harmful_algal_blooms_continue.html) Harmful algal blooms could cause fish kills because of low oxygen conditions. It could also affect the human health just by swimming in the water. Once fish are affected from water pollution the rest of the food chain is affected. Humans consume a lot of fish, if the fish that is being eaten is influenced from the pollution than the human is most probably going to get ill. Overfishing and pollution could also affect the marine life by disturbing the food web. 

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​https://www.studyread.com/what-is-aquatic-ecosystem 

We had a field trip to Montaza to observe the marine ecosystem here in Alexandria. The purpose of the trip to Montaza was to find out whether the local fishing grounds are healthy or not; so in order to do that we needed collect samples of the water from different locations and different shores.  At first it was hard to collect the water from the first location because I couldn’t reach the water because of the terrain; so after that we used a bucket to get the water. Then I collected some algae from the rocks using the water bottle cap then I also observed some snails living on the rocks;  which indicates that the water environment is supportive to algae and snails. 

After collecting the samples, we labeled the bottles based on the locations and we had five different seawater filled water bottles from five different locations. I believe that it is usually better to test a lot of samples rather than just from one place to get a general idea on the health of seawater in Alexandria and not just from one shore.  We took measure of the temperature using a thermometer and it was 24.7⁰C. The ideal water temperature for fish to live in is the range of 25⁰C - 27⁰C (Temperature Control. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.tfhmagazine.com/aquarium-basics/temperature-control.htm); therefore the temperature of the water we collected is very close to the ideal temperature, it is only 0.7 degrees away. Then we took them back to school and we tested the pH level of each sample using the Lab Quest, here are the results: 

Surface water
7.99

Bottom water
7.08

Rock sample (Top)
7.95

Rock sample (bottom)
7.67

Sample from closed area of water
8.01

“Seawater has a pH around 8.2, though this can range between 7.5 to 8.5 depending on is local salinity”. This means that the water is healthy mostly for clownfish and coral reefs. Organisms living in saltwater are adapted to a certain pH level, so once the pH level changes these organisms would become ill and likely die.  (pH of Water. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/ph/).



This is one of the pictures we took.Looking at the picture the water was clearly polluted.
With the results we got after testing the pH level of the water and temperature, the seawater in Alexandria is fairly adequate in terms of pH and temperature; not too cold and not too hot, not too acidic and not too basic. However, looking at the color of water and the general look, a lot of pollution and defilements were very clear in the pictures we took; the water wasn’t clear. So it is debatable whether the local fishing grounds in Alexandria are healthy or not. Algae blooms have not occurred, and the pH level and the temperature are in the right range. A lot of other data was needed to test the water such as salinity, oxygen level, nutrients level, biodiversity, depth, and nitrogen levels; but due to the lack of lab equipments we couldn’t test them. 


References: 
Aquatic ecosystem: Meaning, Characteristics, Types and Importance. (2016, November 8). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.importantindia.com/24302/aquatic-ecosystem-meaning-characteristics-types-and-importance/
The benefits of eating fis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://seafood.edf.org/benefits-eating-fish
Harmful algal blooms continue to plague Lake Erie, threaten drinking water, fish, pets. (2017, August 30). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/08/harmful_algal_blooms_continue.html
Micheal, F. (2014, April 1). Egypt and Water Pollution. Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://savethewater.org/2014/04/10/egypt-and-water-pollution/
The ocean. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from discovery education website: https://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/planetocean/ocean.html
pH of Water. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/ph/
Register search for an MPA  ExploreIntroductionTools and resourcesNews and ViewsSupport the project Protect Planet Ocean is about Marine Conservation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.protectplanetocean.org/collections/introduction/introbox/oceans/introduction-item.html
Temperature Control. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.tfhmagazine.com/aquarium-basics/temperature-control.htm
The 10 worst industrial causes of water pollution (A Man-Made Crisis?). (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://all-about-water-filters.com/worst-industrial-causes-of-water-pollution/#tab-con-6
Waterborne diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.vestergaard.com/global-challenges/waterborne-diseases
What is aquatic ecosystem|Functions & Importance to Man. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.studyread.com/what-is-aquatic-ecosystem

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