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1 JOHN VLASTELICIA 



2 juveniles are migrating through the harbor area. 



3 Secondly, they have been shown to suppress 



4 phytoplankton activity in the harbor. 



5 And third, they have been shown to contain 

 g settleable waste solids, sotne 18 tons per day, that form 

 7 sludge deposits in Bellingham Harbor. These deposits 



g damage bottom organisms and produce hax*mful water quality 



9 degradation, as well as cause general aesthetically un- 



jQ attractive conditions. 



11 Of even greater importance to the marine 



12 communities of the study area are the concentrations of 



13 sulfite waste liquor found dispersed throughout the 



14 Bellingham-Samish Bay system. We have previously shown 



15 that these wastes, even in relatively dilute concentrations, 



16 say 5 to 15 parts per million, are damaging to immature 



17 forms of indigenous fish and shellfish, with such damages 



18 generally decreasing with distance from the waste source. 

 10 Specifically, our studies have shown this: 



20 One, that they damage oyster larva throughout 



21 the Bellingham area, with excessive damage produced in 



22 northern Bellingham Bay. 



23 Two, that they cause some adult and juvenile 



24 oyster mortality, particularly in Bellingham Bay, but more 



I 

 I 



25 j importantly, they adversely affect oyster growth and market 



