Can firecrackers kill fish?

Question

I threw some firecrackers (seriously big firecrackers - torpedo bombs) in my dads lake today. He got rather mad and stated this can kill the fish in the lake. When I asked him for an explanation as to how, he stated the concussion can break the tiny bones in fishes ears and they lose track of their direction and balance. Do fish even have ears? And can they really be killed in this fashion.

Just to clarify - we're talking about a 1 acre pond, not a goldfish pond.

Answer 1

Only if the fish are in the immediate area, or if the explosion is extreamly large ( I'm not familiar with torpedo bombs). I through firecrackers and bottlerockets in my 1/4 acre pond and I have never noticed any fish deaths, in fact the fish population is out of control. Unless, your dads pond is so lightly stocked that it will be effected by the death of one or two fish, or your throwing in 1/4 sticks of dinamite, it shouldn't be a problem.
Fish don't have ears in the sense that we think of them. They do have a lateral line that runs the length of there body and is very sensitive to vibrations. It is so sensitive that they can feel you walking on the shore.

Answer 2

Fishes do have ears and sound waves travel much faster in water than in air. It's a disturbance to the fish making it dizzy losing their balance and coordiantion while swimming. Another factor why your dad said it could kill the fish, the contents of the firecracker is very harmful as poisonous to us humans. Even the carbon smoke up the lake can kill the fishes because the oxygen they breath is above the water, if carbon is up there it will surely suffocate them. Imagine yourself locked up in a room full of burning firecrackers! Surely it can really kill. Also by throwing firecrackers to the lake, you are also poisoning the waters and the plants that thrives there. Water is being used by all the creature in the world and that includes us humans. There are also some bad ways of killing fish like using explosives, which mostly are being sold to markets.. poisoning the consumers who eat the fish. It is really wrong. Firecrackers can really kill fish.

Answer 3

The chemicals from the explosives could be incredibly toxic to fish, I'd expect, not to mention the dangers of the sudden heat and actual explosion. I know nothing of the anatomy of fish, so I know nothing about fish ears and so forth, but why take the chance? Why waste the firecrackers like that anyway?

Answer 4

no but thats what can happen to you
Seriously, We have little bones in our ears and if broken our balance can be lost. Firecracksers can kill em the same way that if u light a firecracker and hold it till u explode

Answer 5

Yes don't throw firecrackers in the water.

Answer 6

duh! why on earth would you even throw firecrackers on a lake and not expect the fish to die? your stupid. yes the fish will die due to the pressure caused by the firecrackers. also, the lake could even be polluted due to the powder used in firecrackers. ever heard of dynamite fishing loser? yes, fish do have ears and the bones in them are called otoliths. sound even travels faster in water so the impact is even greater when you hear it on air. your so stupid.

Answer 7

yes - my grandad when out camping and he wanted fish for dinner but we did not have fishing gear (was a hunting trip), he bombed a local lake with very small crackers made from gunpowder taken from bullets.

Answer 8

yes it does hurt them due to pressure change, expecially such a dramatic one at that, its like putting them into a diffrent pond without giving them time to ajust to the temp by just dumping them in without leaving their bag of water in for a while to get them ajusted..

Answer 9

yeah, the vibration hurts the fishs sense in hearing and can make them lose track where they r going. fish are very delicate creatures

Answer 10

yes