For example, let’s look at  and their needs. Fish need an aquatic habitat that is not polluted. They need places to rest, places to feed, and places for their eggs and young to be safe.

1. Plants growing on banks of rivers and shores of lakes trap soil with their roots, keeping it out of the water.

If these plants are removed, soil can wash into the water. The soil covers places where fish lay their eggs or that young fish use as nurseries. The eggs are smothered with soil. The gills of the young fish become clogged with soil, and then they can’t breathe.

2. Plants growing underwater near banks or shores are habitat for insects and other small critters that fish need to eat.

If underwater plants are removed to improve swimming conditions or increase space for boat handling, this habitat is destroyed and all these small critters will die. There will be less food for the fish to eat.

3. Fish need water that contains oxygen.

If fertilizers get into water bodies, algae (green slimy stuff) grow and grow. Then the algae die. Bacteria break down the dead algae, using up all the oxygen in the water so there’s none left for the fish to breathe. So… the fish die.