Surveys of the benthic infauna of the Crouch Estuary (UK) in relation to TBT contamination

Abstract

Fieldwork on the estuary of the River Crouch in Essex between 1987 (when the use of TBT antifouling on boats less than 25 m in length was banned) and 1992 revealed marked increases in the species diversity of sublittoral benthic communities in the areas which had originally been most contaminated with TBT. These increases were mirrored by a decrease in the TBT contamination of the sediments. The bivalve molluscs and amphipod crustaceans showed the most marked increases in abundance and diversity.