1-21 



populations (gill net, trav/1) . Shore-zone fish seining was conducted 

 monthly with exception of the winter months. Sample scheduling for the 

 remaining programs, intertidal fauna and flora, benthic infauna, and 

 determination of the oyster condition index was designed to assess 

 seasonal changes in the biota. 



As stated above, the objectives of this report are to describe 

 the ecology of New Haven Harbor, and to identify and evaluate possible 

 impacts of the plant operations on the harbor ecosystem. The intention 

 is to produce a thorough and synthesized "description" which could serve 

 as a foundation for consideration of environmental impacts and, secondly, 

 to provide a useful basis for comparison by other researchers with other 

 estuaries and harbors or with New Haven Harbor in future studies. Prior 

 to this report there was no comprehensive body of ecological information 

 on New Haven Harbor. Short-term studies that generally rely on monthly 

 or seasonal sampling efforts have a probability of missing some major 

 short-lived occurrences in either physical or biological parameters. On 

 the other hand, the New Haven Harbor Ecological studies, which relied on 

 monthly data-acquisition over all seasons for seven consecutive years 

 provides an excellent base for characterizing environmental conditions 

 in New Haven Harbor. 



