An experimental investigation into effects of pulp mill effluent on structure of biological communities In Alberni Inlet, British Columbia

Intertidal communities inhabiting the shoreline of an inlet possessing a pulp mill at its head were examined at intervals progressively removed from the mill waste water outfall. Two groups of species inhabiting this region were identified—the first consisting of two amphipods and one isopod was concentrated primarily in the region of the mill outfall, the second comprised organisms which increased in concentration with distance from the discharge point. Preliminary transfer experiments indicated some deleterious effect of pulp mill effluent occurred with respect to intertidal organisms, however, the results were not clear since the overall trend was confounded with an incompletely controlled fresh water effect. This is the second section of a two part paper and deals specifically with the effects of pulp mill effluent on intertidal communities. The first section concerned effects of pulp mill effluent on subtidal communities.