How Do Fish Breathe Underwater Essay

Although it is impossible for humans to breathe underwater, what if it was a possibility? The human anatomy would need to change in order to support the same anatomy that allows fish to swim and breathe underwater. All fish have gills. Gills are tissues which consisting of filaments. These filaments have capillaries that allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, acids, and ammonia. The gills are located on either side of the pharynx. “How Fish Breathe Underwater” states, A fish breathes by taking water in through the mouth and forcing it out through the gill passages (www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-fish-breathe-underwater). According to Difference Between Gills and Lungs, Gills are able to diffuse excretory products, but lungs are

The swim bladder contains oxygen gas amongst other gases. It functions as a hydrostatic organ and it allows the fish to stay deep underwater without it floating or sinking. Humans would also need to be able to breathe oxygen gas (O2).

If humans could breathe underwater, we’d be able to explore a larger percentage of the oceans. www.oceanservice.noaa.gov wrote, “To date, we have explored less than five percent of the ocean.” Then, with specialized equipment allowing further depth for diving, there would be the opportunity to explore what makes up 70% of our earth. To put it in perspective, we have discovered more of the rainforests then we have discovered the oceans. If humans had the ability to breathe underwater, we could explore the mysteries of the ocean, such as Mariana’s Trench. We could find the cure for cancer. According to “Oceans and Coasts”, Scientists have already developed many medical treatments from resources found in the world’s oceans. For instance, Bryozoan Bugula neritina is a source for the anti-cancer compound bryostatin 1. Blue-green algae, commonly found in

According to “Cruise Ship Pollution”, A 3,000- passenger cruise ship generates 210,000 gallons of sewage, 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water, and diesel emissions equivalent to thousands of automobiles.(www.beachapedia.org/Cruise_Ship_Pollution).If humans had the ability to breathe underwater, then we’d be able to travel long distances overseas instead of having to rely on cruise ship. This would decrease the pollution to the oceans by a lot. California Coastal states,” In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that ocean-based sources, such as cargo ships and cruise liners had dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean.”(www.coastal .ca.org/publiced/marinedebris.html) If we could independently travel the oceans to get to foreign countries without relying on heavily polluting ships, then the earth would have cleaner waters. Cruise ships wouldn’t be obsolete due to the large predators in the ocean. Less pollution would lead to a much cleaner environment for the aquaculture. The ability to breathe underwater would lead to a decrease in the use of passenger ships, but would ultimately lead to a cleaner ocean and a cleaner environment for the