THE INFLUENCE OF INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS ON INTERTIDAL BENTHIC COMMUNITIES IN PANWEOL, KYEONGGI BAY (YELLOW SEA) ON THE WEST-COAST OF KOREA

Impacts of industrial wastes on benthic infaunal communities were assessed for an intertidal mudflat near Panweol on the west coast of Korea. Species number and density have decreased sharply compared with values available for these communities before this area was heavily industrialized. At a site near the outfall of a sewage treatment plant almost all pre-existing macrobenthic infauna have disappeared, and the capitellid polychaete Heteromastus filiformis predominates. Even at a distance of 4 km, species numbers have decreased rapidly from 22 in 1984 to 4 in 1992 and a previously dominant polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, declined from 86 individuals (ind.) m(-2) in 1984 to 14 ind. m(-2) in 1992. High sediment levels of copper (70-323 mu g g(-1) dry wt), lead (33-83 mu g g(-1)) and cadmium (0.5-3 mu g g(-1)) indicate that industrial effluents have caused significant sediment contamination. High levels of copper were detected in the tissues of H. filiformis (450 mu g g(-1)) and P. aibuhitensis (240 mu g g(-1)). Bioaccumulation of copper in the polychaetes is discussed in relation to the catastrophic collapse of the benthic communities.