14 DAY TRIAL // According to the findings of a new scientific investigation, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 gave tuna heart attacks, and not in the sense that it scared these fish so much that they started experienced palpitations.
On the contrary, researchers say that evidence at hand shows that, at the time when the spill occurred, tuna embryos and larvae were exposed to significant amounts of crude oil.
The oil had a negative impact on their heart cells, meaning that it caused them to beat less effectively. Specifically, it affected contraction and relaxation mechanisms.
In time, this translated into the fact that many fish suffered deadly heart attacks, Eco Watch explains.
Due to the fact that the spill occurred during peak spawning season in the Gulf, its impact on the western Atlantic tuna population was greater than it would have been had it taken place during another time of the year.
Researchers have reasons to believe that the tuna population has not yet recovered, and that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is at least partly to blame for the fact that, in 2012, the overall headcount for these fish was just 36% of its 1970 value.