The impact of the Jessica oil-spill on intertidal macroinvertebrate communities was studied using a reference-impact design at three tidal levels at sites where oil deposits had been reported by a shoreline assessment team, and adjacent reference sites. Faunal relationships between the various sites did not show any clear pattern related to oil exposure at the time of sampling (4-11 months post-spill). Similarly, no significant differences associated with oiling were detected for total animal density nor species richness data, nor for the abundances of common taxa. We note that post-hoc studies such as this are limited by a failure to recognise different levels of oiling impacts at different sites (oiling-site interactions). Baseline information is critical if subtle effects of oiling are to be distinguished. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Objective Division:	Transport
Objective Group:	Environmentally sustainable transport activities
Objective Field:	Environmentally sustainable transport activities not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar)
ID Code:	27168
Year Published:	2003
Web of Science® Times Cited:	18
Deposited By:	Zoology
Deposited On:	2003-08-01
Last Modified:	2004-12-06
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