Numerical responses of larval fishes to deepwater sewage disposal: a field assessment

This paper summarizes the results of a large-scale ‘beyond BACI’ designed assessment of the influences of effluent discharges from Sydney's deepwater sewage outfalls on assemblages of larval fishes. Larval fishes were sampled at three outfalls and at multiple control locations three times before and three times after the deepwater outfalls were commissioned. Sampling was stratified to account for time of year, oceanography and plume behaviour. Large numbers of fish larvae were caught near the outfalls and were thus exposed to sewage plumes. Results indicated that some larvae that normally occur at depth were displaced upwards by rising plumes, particularly when plumes surfaced. No predictable positive or negative numerical responses of larvae to outfalls were evident. Rather responses varied depending on the taxa, outfall and season. The large inherent level of natural spatial and temporal variability in abundances of larvae swamped the detection of possible impacts for many taxa. Future field based studies need to track larvae through plumes to assess changes in numbers, but also to test effects on the health and condition of larvae.