Bilge passages connected forward and aft

[fishingproblem]

Water in the forward bilge had me a little worried in my new to me 27 until upon closer inspection I discovered that the main engine bilge has a passage to the center bilge under the helm and then into the forward cabin bilge. I like the idea of redundancy with the pump in the forward bilge however the water from the engine area is a tad foul and having it under the deck in the cabin seems non kosher.

If I filled in the passages would that be of any safety concern? I would like to use the box under the helm area for storage, fresh water tank or fish box and keep the cabin air separated from the engine bilge.

If I filled in the passages would that be of any safety concern? Convenience issues?

David