264 



The distribution of marine fauna in the Bight apex has apparent- 

 ly beeh altered to some degree in the Chr istiaensen Basin, where 

 fine-grained, organic rich sediments from all sources tend to 

 accumulate. However, in general the types of biota found in 

 the New York Bight are not markedly different from similar envi- 

 ronments in non- impacted adjacent areas of the continental shelf 

 (Boesch 1979) . 



Many other localized areas of the marine environment have been 

 more seriously impacted by man's activities, resulting in large 

 alterations in the normal benthic life found in these regions. 

 The cumulative effects of normal harbor and port activities 

 (e.g., dredging, low-level ship discharge or leakage of petro- 

 leum hydrocarbons, construction, continuari ship traffic, etc.T 

 substantially alter the benthic fauna. Estuarine discharges add 

 jiutrients to coastal areas, enriching productivity which can 

 lead to reduced concentrations of oxygen in the water column and 

 sediments. Such fundamental changes in the environment can 

 limit the type of marine organisms which can live in these 

 altered conditions. Impacts of this type, often of greater mag- 

 nitude than those observed in the New York Bight apex, have been 

 observed in many other coastal locations, particularly semi-en- 

 closed areas such as Biscayne Bay, Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco 

 Bay, Raritan Bay, and many wetland areas throughout the South- 

 east U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. Other man-induced changes to 

 the marine environment and its fauna result from alterations in 

 freshwater flow. These include water reclamation projects in 

 the Florida Everglades which have resulted in high salinity 



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