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Owing to the complexity of many graphical elements in this report, the detail in the graphics is not up to our usual high standard.

Contents

    Irish sea and Bristol Channel QSR Team

Chapter 1
General introduction

1.1 Background and scope

Chapter 2
Geography and physical oceanography

2.1 Geography
2.2 Physical oceanography

2.2.1 The Irish Sea
2.2.2 Bristol Channel

References

Chapter 3
Human activities

3.1 Introduction
3.2 Demography
3.3 Exploitation of living resources
3.4 Mariculture
3.5 Agriculture
3.6 Sand and gravel extraction
3.7 Dredging and dumping
3.8 Offshore oil and gas
3.9 Shipping
3.10 Coastal industries
3.11 Tourism and recreation
3.12 Coastal protection and land reclamation

3.12.1 Current and proposed coastal management initiatives
3.12.2 Offshore and coastal power generation

3.13 Military activities
3.14 Conservation

3.14.1 Ecological conservation
3.14.2 Archaeology

References

Chapter 4
Marine chemistry

4.1 Marine inputs

4.1.1 Direct inputs
4.1.2 Riverine inputs
4.1.3 Petroleum oil inputs
4.1.4 Marine litter

4.2 Distribution of contaminants

4.2.1 Spatial and temporal distributions of chemical contaminants in seawater
4.2.2 Spatial distribution of chemical contaminants in sediments
4.2.3 Spatial and temporal distributions of chemical contaminants in fish and shellfish
4.2.4 Contaminants in marine mammals

4.3 Nutrients
4.4 Radioactivity
4.5 Munitions disposal in Beaufort’s Dyke
4.6 Impact of SEA EMPRESS oil spill
4.7 Impacts of sewage sludge disposal to sea
4.8 Impacts of mariculture
References

Chapter 5
Marine biology

5.1 Plankton
5.2 Benthos

5.2.1 Introduction
5.2.2 Description of benthic communities

5.3 Fish
5.4 Birds

5.4.1 Irish Sea
5.4.2 Bristol Channel

5.5 Mammals

5.5.1 Irish Sea

5.6 Fish diseases
5.7 Biological effects of contaminants

5.7.1 Water quality
5.7.2 Sediment quality
5.7.3 EROD activity in fish
5.7.4 Endocrine disruption
5.7.5 Endocrine disruption in marine fish
5.7.6 Stress effects and contaminant levels in Irish Sea mussels

5.8 Human health aspects

5.8.1 Bathing water quality
5.8.2 Microbiological quality of shellfish
5.8.3 Marine biotoxins

5.9 Impacts of fishing

5.9.1 Impact of fishing activities

References

Chapter 6
Overall assessment

6.1 Introduction

6.2.1 Issues of high importance
6.2.2 Issues of medium importance
6.2.3 Other issues

Appendix I. Contributions of various countries to the fish and shellfish landings in Region III in 1995

Appendix II. Descriptions of statutes for nature conservation

Appendix III. Standards/guidelines for contaminants in fish and shellfish

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Published 27 July 2000

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