A video posted to TikTok by fisherman Raw Explores (@rawexplores) is making waves online — and not in a good way. The clip shows what appears to be fuel contaminating a river, an illegal and dangerous act that has sparked outrage in the comments.
The video opens with “Keep watching, it’s sickening” captioned on the screen. “I’ve just gone fishing … down the river Severn,” the creator says, “and I can smell a horrible smell.” As the camera zooms into a fuel slick covering the water, he asks, “How do companies get away with that?” He finds “a massive pool of what looks like oil” beside the river. “And they say it’s fishermen that ruin the waterways,” he adds.
@rawexplores guys please do me 1 favor and share this video this isn’t right and needs to be stopped. I reported it to environmental agency.#polution #fyp #fishing #fishinglife #river #water #fishcare ♬ original sound – RAWEXPLORES
Dumping fuel into waterways is a violation of environmental law that can lead to fines and other consequences. What’s worse, it harms aquatic ecosystems, drinking water, and public health. Even small amounts of gasoline or diesel can poison fish and plant life, contaminating habitats for months or longer. And once petroleum products enter the water cycle, they’re difficult and expensive to clean up. More than a decade after the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill, research shows marine life is still struggling to recover.
This is one of many recent instances of illegal dumping. In March 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard was investigating a fuel spill near a tourist area in Puerto Rico, and a truck driver in Alabama was accused of purposefully dumping aviation fuel. In some cases, companies may try to hide spills and contamination to avoid accountability.
In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that petroleum spills happen thousands of times a year — and cleanups can never remove all of the oil. To protect the environment, if you see something, say something. You can report pollution anonymously to local authorities or through national hotlines like the EPA’s Emergency Response.
Comments on the post echoed widespread frustration and urged the creator to contact authorities, and he confirmed he had. “I’m from Bewdley and fish the river all the time and some [of] the stuff coming down the river is unbelievable,” one viewer wrote. Another added, “They do it because it’s cheaper to pay the fine than have it disposed of properly.” A third commenter said, “This is why fishermen are so important to rivers and canals; they are often the first people to spot pollution.”
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