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

Fieldwork on the estuary of the River Crouch in Essex between 1987 (when th e 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 bent hic communities in the areas which had originally been most contaminated wi th TBT. These increases were mirrored by a decrease in the TBT contaminatio n of the sediments. The bivalve molluscs and amphipod crustaceans showed th e most marked increases in abundance and diversity.