Relationships of rainfall,river flow,and salinity to faecal coliform levels in a mussel fishery

Faecal coliform levels were determined for sea water and shellfish flesh from farms of the green mussel, Perna canaliculus, in Pelorus Sound, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. Simple linear models were developed to relate logarithmically transformed data on the faecal coliform levels to measures of fresh water entering the mussel beds. These models support guidelines to restrict harvesting following periods of heavy rain in order to comply with shellfish sanitation standards. Alternative guidelines are suggested based on the volume of river water entering the sound or salinity.