Effets de la marée noire de l' ”Amoco Cadiz ” sur le benthos sublittoral du nord de la Bretagne

Abstract

Effects of the “Amoco Cadiz ” oil spill on the sublittoral benthos, north of Brittany. Effects of hydrocarbons on the sublittoral macrobenthic communities have been observed through (1) studies of population dynamics of selected communities, conducted prior to the spill by the tanker “Amoco Cadiz ” in spring 1978 and (2) comparisons between the situation in summer 1978 with that in earlier years, with continuation of the observations in some selected sites. The effect of the spill has been selective, involving a limited number of species, mainly crustaceans, molluscs and the sand-urchinEchinocardium cordatum. The spill mainly affected communities on fine sediments and, to a lesser degree, those on mixed sediments. Notably, the destruction of the dominant populations ofAmpelisca, in areas of fine sands in the Bay of Morlaix, has led to a marked decrease of biomass and production. Moreover, repopulation will be difficult because of the isolation of such communities on the southern side of the English Channel. The effects evolved with time; after a phase of sharp and selective mortality, which did not last more than a few weeks, secondary effects on the recruitment of the remaining species do not seem to have occurred on a large scale. Nevertheless, a proliferation of polychaetes has been noticed.