They are born within my cells, live a happy coexistence, then propagate and die. That witch's brew is life to a chemist. Stare into a microscope long enough and that is all you will see. Oblivion in elements and electrons. We are not so different from a pool.
Laws are now in place to control pollution, but even so, rivers have been dredged, diked and dammed.
To be fair, we have improved some things in favor of the fish. We have taken predators out of the system. Native groups and predatory animals such as the black bear have been largely displaced. Fishermen have been limited to catch and release. The only predators that still abound are engineers, scientists and fungi.