{"id":20895,"date":"2022-09-29T17:05:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T15:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=67979"},"modified":"2022-09-29T17:28:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T15:28:15","slug":"can-fish-drown","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/can-fish-drown\/","title":{"rendered":"Can fish drown?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jo Caird\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Given that fish live and breathe underwater, the idea of them drowning seems impossible. And yet still the question remains, and as with most things to do with wildlife, the answer isn\u2019t as simple as you might expect\u2026<\/p>\n

Can fish drown?<\/h2>\n

According to Collins Concise Dictionary<\/em>, drowning is \u201cto die or kill by immersion in liquid\u201d \u2013 so no, fish<\/a> cannot drown. However, they can suffocate when fresh water does not contain enough dissolved oxygen \u2013 either as a result of eutrophication (an excess of nutrients) or drought.<\/p>\n

Many fish must swim constantly in order that water is always flowing past their gills. This is the case for most sharks<\/a>, which is why they cannot survive when thrown back into the sea following the removal of their fins by fishers<\/a> supplying the shark fin soup market. A shark with no fin is unable to swim and will therefore suffocate.<\/p>\n