Marine soft-bottom benthic community offshore from Black Rock sewage outfall, Connewarre, Victoria

Abstract

The shallow-water benthic community offshore from Black Rock sewage outfall consists of a moderately diverse crustacean and polychaete infaunal assemblage living in fine-grained, homogeneous, sandy sediments. Most organisms are detritus- or suspension-feeders, with detritus coming largely from planktonic and suspended sources. Sewage effluent may secondarily enrich inshore sediments which support dense populations of spionid polychaetes and Callianassa ceramica.