A POSSIBLE NEW MEIOFAUNAL TOOL FOR RAPID ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT OF MARINE OIL POLLUTION

Five months after the oil spillage from the Braer tanker a limited sur vey of the meiofaunal copepod assemblage was carried out to the west o f the south Shetland peninsula, where sediment oil content ranged from 19 to 8816 ppm. There was no evidence for any impact of oil on specie s diversity. Copepod abundance and species composition did show correl ations with oil content but this was explicable in terms of the influe nce of sediment type, which was also related to oil content in the are a. A strong correlation between the relative abundance of ectinosomati d copepods and oil content appeared unlikely to be due to the influenc e of natural factors. It is suggested that ectinosomatids may be highl y sensisitive to oiled sediments. Further evidence for enhanced suscep tibility to oil was manifest in the finding of ectinosomatids coated i n oil droplets, suggesting the possession of a lipophilic cuticle. It is proposed that under certain conditions the relative abundance of ec tinosomatids may provide a rapid tool for monitoring the impact of oil on benthic communities, if this putative sensitivity is confirmed by further studies.