Abstract
This study investigated the impacts of petroleum industry activities on the distribution and health of molluscs in the New Calabar Rivers, Rivers State, Nigeria. The sampling technique used was empirical test on surface water and sediments (quantitative). The investigation used a systematic research to the study assessed the physicochemical surface water quality and soil sediment, pH, turgidity, electrical conductivity, heavy metals, organic compound of polycyclic hydrocarbon (PAHS), While the administered questionnaires responses were quantitatively assessed and analyzed into tabulated data’s, column by using inferential statistics such as SPSS 26 and Relative importance (RII) for evaluations for the empirical test and socio-economic test respectively. The sampling across the (8) stations (Na 1, Oc2, Ta3, E/4, Ba5, Og6, Mg7, and Ch8), results indicate severe environmental degradation. While Ph levels (6.85 – 8.05) remained within WHO standards, Electrical conductivity (EC) reached alarming levels of 8,030, 12,490 us/cm. The study highlights that such pollutants not only cause physiological damage to adult molluscs – but also poses critical threat to highly sensitive early stages (spats, eggs and larva). The bioaccumulation (R11) and hydrocarbon (R11 = 0.96) of toxins renders mollusk unsafe for human consumption, threatening the socio-economic wellbeing of the region. The research provides framework for environmental management strategies aimed at mitigating hydrocarbon induced ecological decline in the Niger Delta.