Shallow water macrobenthos along the central west coast of India

Abstract

Quantitative distribution of macrobenthos in five shallow bays of the central west coast of India was studied. The substrata in different bays largely consisted of sand and sand-mud. The fauna had a mean population density of 1279-5518/m2. It was rich below the low water mark up to 10 m, but progressively decreased with depth. A wide range of values of population density and biomass encountered suggested uneven distribution on similar deposits