An attempted pollution abatement in the Gulf of La Napoule (Cannes,France)

A benthic survey was carried out in 1973 at the servicing of a 1285 m long submarine pipe designed to achieve pollution abatement in the Gulf of La Napoule (Cannes, French Mediterranean coast) and repeated 4 years later (1977). This last survey points to a good recovery of benthic communities in the eastern part of the Gulf (off Cannes) but a severe change in the western part of the Gulf with the appearance, in a deposition area, of the species Scolelepis fuliginosa and Capitella capitata which are highly characteristic of polluted areas and which had not been sampled during the first survey.