Studies on Sublittoral Macrobenthic Fauna of the Inner Swansea Bay

Abstract

Sublittoral benthic macrofauna ofInner Swansea Bay, a shallow industrialized embayment on the north side ofthe Bristol Channel, England, is mainly composed of Polychaeta (43.9%), Mollusca (31.9%), Crustacea (12.7%), Echinodermata (0.7%) and other groups (10.6%). Faunal density and biomass varied from 50 to 3174 specimens m^-2 (x = 787 m ^-2) and 0.5 to 2190.0 gm^-2 (x = 116.65 gm^-2) respectively. High benthic biomass was dominated by the bivalves <i>Spisula elliplica </i>(Brown) and <i>Nucula turgida </i> Leckenby and Marshall. The annual benthic production of 233.3 gm^-2 yr^-1 or 16.2 g Cm^-2 yr^-1 can sustain 22.3 tons km^-2 yr^--1 of bottom fishes, and carbon requirement by the benthic community is 16.2.g C m^-2 yr^-1. There was a definite correfation among the benthic faunal element, their feeding habit, organic carbon and sediment texture.