A malfunction occurred at an oil-contaminated sewage treatment facility for ships within Hakata Port in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Sewage mixed with fuel oil overflowed into the port’s waters, and a thin film of oil spread outward with the tide to nearby aquaculture areas. The oil slick forms a barrier on seaweed and the shells of shellfish, hindering gas exchange and filter-feeding activities; toxic aromatic hydrocarbons in the oil can penetrate the water column and bottom sediments, accumulating in shellfish, fish, and shrimp.
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