Changes in the scope for growth of blood cockles (Anadara granosa) exposed to industrial discharge

Blood cockles (Anadara granosa) were placed in plastic cages and deployed at eight locations along a pollution gradient. A control site was chosen a few kilometres away. At 2-week intervals for 8 weeks, the scope for growth of the cockles was determined. A total of 11 environmental parameters were measured during each sampling exercise for correlation with the growth index. Values of scope for growth for all the eight stations, except for stations 7 and 8, were significantly lower than the value for the control site; station 1 (nearest the discharge point) had the lowest value. Strong correlations were found between the scope for growth of the cockles and seven of the environmental parameters. The pattern of the impact of the discharge on the scope for growth of the cockles suggests that longshore currents may play a dominant role in the distribution of the industrial wastes.