PESTICIDE TOXICITY AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN FRESHWATER FISHES

Abstract

The modern organic pesticides have increased in agriculture to enhance crops yield with low labour and effort. These chemicals affect almost each system of environment especially aquatic ecosystems. These residues enter in non-targeted animals via food chain threatening the ecological balance and biodiversity of the nature. Fishes serve as important bio-indicators for aquatic contamination to access the changes caused by human activities effectively and reliable monitoring bio-system to recognize and predict hazardous effects of pollutants. Therefore, the protection of aquatic ecosystem and water quality will be possible only with the judicious and rationalized applications of pesticides.