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Our Whitianga office will be closed to the public on Wednesday, 22 January. To report air or water pollution, unsafe water activities in or on a river, lake or harbour, or make a general enquiry or information request during this time, we can be contacted 24/7 on 0800 800 401.

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Sediment-dwelling organisms in estuaries

REMP

Because sediment-dwelling organisms respond predictably to many kinds of natural and human-made stresses or disturbances they have been widely used as indicators of estuary health in environmental monitoring programmes worldwide. Changes in the types and abundance of animals present within an estuary may indicate the effects of localised disturbances (e.g. channel dredging) or regional-scale pressures or activities (e.g. terrigenous sediment, nutrient enrichment).