Billions of fish killed by reactor operation

A new report from a British researcher has found that fish are killed in their billions as a result of the operation of coastal nuclear reactors. These findings, by Dr. Peter Henderson at Oxford University, confirm those in our report of 2001 (see Licensed to Kill, below.) The British report described the effect on fish of nuclear reactor intake systems that can draw in a million gallons of water a minute plus the sea life living there. However, fish and other aquatic species - both fresh- and sea-water, are also negatively affected by the thermal discharges from reactors, particularly when the utility abruptly raises the temperatures of the discharge water, thermally shocking animals living in the vicinity. Such an incident occurred in August 2007 at the Braidwood Generating Station in Illinois where thousands of fish were killed, recorded in these dramatic photos.