Beyond the Mussel Watch — new directions for monitoring marine pollution

The increasing numbers and types of potential pollutants in the world oceans calls for novel strategies for their assays. The ‘Mussel Watch’ well served the latter decades of the 20th century. For the immediate future, individual assays of the chemicals of concern should be replaced by the analyses of groups of pollutants which have a common impact upon marine organisms. Secondly, more attention should be focussed upon the benthos where many potential pollutants continue to accumulate. Impacts upon members of the marine biosphere may be recognized by population changes of individual species. Lastly, time frame monitoring studies should be initiated, so that long-term trends in the health of a system can be detected.