BIOMONITORING OF WATER-QUALITY USING BENTHIC COMMUNITIES IN BLANCA BAY (ARGENTINA)

This paper summarizes the effects of pollution on the composition and spatial distribution of benthic communities in Blanca Bay, Argentina. Monitored fish species of commercial interest that feed on benthos hav e high heavy metal concentrations, in two cases up to the legal limit for human consumption. The composition and patterns of spatial distrib ution, both of the benthic and bacterial communities, are related to t he enrichment of organic matter in sediments of the inner region of th e bay. The need for a pollution control program for the bay is emphasi zed.