AbStfclCt.— Analytical and statis- 

 tical procedures were applied to bot- 

 tom trawl survey data in tests of hy- 

 potheses about potential effects of 

 sewage sludge dumping at a 106- 

 mile dumpsite (106-MDS) off New 

 Jersey on fishery resources assessed 

 on the continental shelf and upper 

 slope. Sludge dumping, even in deep 

 ocean waters, was not discounted as 

 one of several ecological and envi- 

 ronmental perturbations influencing 

 these resources measured as tempo- 

 ral, spatial, and seasonal differences 

 in abundance. Species abundances 

 of silver and red hakes (Merluccius 

 bilinearis and Urophycis chuss), 

 summer flounder [Paralichthys 

 dentatus), goosefish iLophius ameri- 

 canus), and black sea bass (Centro- 

 pristis striata) declined significantly 

 over temporal and spatial scales dur- 

 ing the disposal of contaminant- 

 laden sewage sludge at the deep- 

 water 106-MDS. There was also a 

 decline in the array of all aggregated 

 species, but to a lesser degree. Re- 

 sults of these analyses of assessment 

 data are considered in relation to ef- 

 fects of ocean dumping in shallow 

 waters at the southern California 

 sewage outfalls and in the New York 

 Bight apex, and in relation to in- 

 creased contamination of the ecosys- 

 tem around the 106-MDS. Further, 

 large-scale coordination of environ- 

 mental research surveys with fishery 

 resource assessments would allow 

 tests of more specific hypotheses and 

 allow a more definitive interpreta- 

 tion of offshore resource population 

 data as presented here. 



Analysis of fishery resources: 

 potential risk from sewage sludge 

 clumping at the deepwater 

 dumpsite off New Jersey 



Sukwoo Chang 



Sandy Hook Laboratory, Northeast Fisheries Science Center 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA 

 Highlands, New Jersey 07732 



Sewage sludge and a variety of 

 other wastes have been disposed of 

 in coastal waters of the New York 

 Bight for over 50 years (Squires, 

 1983). Offshore deepwater waste dis- 

 posal of sewage sludge, however, is a 

 relatively new activity of the last 

 20 years. With legally mandated 

 closure of the coastal water 12- 

 mile dump site ( 12-MDS) in the New 

 York Bight apex (Ocean Dumping 

 Ban Act of 1988), a deepwater 

 dumpsite, 106 miles off New Jersey 

 (106-MDS), was selected as a 

 temporary alternative site for dis- 

 posal of sewage sludge from the 

 New York and New Jersey metro- 

 politan area (O'Connor, 1983; 

 O'Connor et al, 1983, 1985; Pearce 

 et al., 1983; Norton, 1989; NOAA 12 ; 

 Battelle 3 ). 



The 106-MDS had been used pre- 

 viously for disposal of industrial 

 wastes as well as sewage sludge 



Manuscript accepted 4 August 1993. 

 Fishery Bulletin 91:594-610 ( 1993). 



'NOAA. 1975. May 1974 baseline investiga- 

 tion of deepwater dumpsite 106. NOAA 

 Dumpsite Evaluation Report 75-1. U.S. 

 Dep. Commer., Natl. Oceanic Atmospheric 

 Admin., Natl. Ocean Survey, Rockville, MD, 

 388 p. 



-NOAA. 1977. Baseline report of environmen- 

 tal conditions in deepwater dumpsite 106. 

 NOAA Dumpsite Evaluation Report 77-1. U.S. 

 Dep. Commer., NOAA, Natl. Ocean Survev. 

 Rockville, MD. 798 p. 



'Battelle. 1990. 106-miles deepwater munici- 

 pal sludge site monitoring, research and sur- 

 veillance plan. Battelle Memorial Institute, 

 Duxbury, MA, 90 p. 



(O'Connor, 1983; Bisagni 4 ; Ander- 

 son 5 ). Phased relocation of New York- 

 New Jersey sewage disposal began 

 in March 1986, and by December 

 1987 all sewage sludge disposed at 

 sea was being barged to the 106-MDS 

 site. At the 106-MDS, an average of 

 6.0 million metric tons (t) wet weight 

 sewage sludge (range 1.2-9.9 million 

 t) was dumped between 1986 and 

 1992. This mean is similar to an av- 

 erage of 5.8 million t of sewage sludge 

 (range 4.0-8.3 1) dumped at the 12- 

 MDS from 1973 to 1987. New Jersey 

 ceased disposal at 106-MDS in March 

 1991. New York City phased out 20% 

 of its ocean dumping in December 

 1991, and the remainder by the end 

 of June 1992. 



The fishing industry, citizens 

 groups, state governments, and fed- 

 eral agencies all voiced concerns 

 about potential effects of heavy sew- 

 age sludge dumping at the 106-MDS 

 on the surrounding marine environ- 

 ment and fisheries. Dumping of sew- 

 age sludge and industrial waste in 



4 Bisagni, J. J. 1977. A summary of the input 

 of industrial waste chemicals at deepwater 

 dumpsite 106 during 1974 and 1975. NOAA 

 Dumpsite Evaluation Report 77-1. U.S. Dep. 

 Commer., NOAA, Natl. Ocean Survev, Rock- 

 ville, MD, 487-497 p. 



Anderson, P. W. 1983. Current status — ocean 

 dumping in the New York Bight. Paper pre- 

 sented on 6 April 1983 in Atlantic City, NJ at 

 the 15th National Conference and Exhibition 

 on Municipal and Industrial Sludge Utiliza- 

 tion and Disposal, 6 p. 



594 



