Ecological monitoring of the new dumping area on the Belgian Continental Shelf

Since 1985 a new area for the dumping of industrial waste has replaced all previous dumping grounds on the Belgian continental shelf. The choice of this new dumping area was based on preliminary hydrodynamical and biological research. Epibenthic and demersal fish species were sparsely distributed and occurred in low numbers in the area. No dominant species were found, and no important commercial fisheries or spawning and nursery grounds were located in the surrounding area. An ecological monitoring programme carried out by the "Belgica", the Belgian oceanographic research vessel, confirmed the... Mehr ...