Formation of biofouling communities on the surfaces of steel panels coated with two different TBT-free copper-based and one TBT-based antifouling paint was examined following submersion for periods of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months in Kastela Bay, Croatia. Test panels coated with Shopprimer and anticorrosive paint were used as control panels. Thirty five taxa of benthic algae and 32 taxa of benthic animals were found. Diatomeae dominated by frequency and abundance on test panels coated with antifouling paints, while the animal species Serpula vermicularis, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Balanus amphitrite amphitrite dominated the fouling communities on control panels. On panels protected by antifouling paints, low values of biomass were found compared to the very high values associated with control panels.

A fouling assemblage (including density, species richness and diversity, and biomass) growing on netting of fish farm cages was investigated in Stracinska Bay--Location 1 and Peles Bay--Location 2 (Croatia) in order to test the efficiency of fouling as a bioindicator of organic pollution. A total number of 40 algal taxa in Location 1 and total number of 22 algal taxa in Location 2 were identified, with a dominance of opportunistic species (ESG II). We found domination of algal species over animal species and absolute dominance of Rhodophyta which are typical fouler in the Adriatic Sea. Low diversity and species richness with increase in value of the R/P index (occasionally higher than 6) were recorded in Location 2, indicating a certain impact of nutrient enrichment from fish culture facilities on a fouling community structure.

Marine accident of the Maltese tanker Erika is the biggest environmental disaster ever to hit France. 12th of December 1999, on the way from Dunkerque (France) to Livorno (Italy), Erika broke in two and sank near the French coast, spilling around 20.000 tons of heavy fuel oil into the sea. About 11.000 tons of dangerous cargo, trapped inside the sunken wreck, presented a danger to the environment. Severe weather conditions prevented any offshore clean-up operations. Oil trapped inside the wreckage was pumped out, while the on-shore clean-up operations lasted for another two years. This accident had a direct impact on the economy of affected regions and resulted in numerous lawsuits against the ship owners, charterers and classification societies. This paper aims to provide an overview of oil spill pollution clean-up methods and technologies after the accident of tanker Erika.

This paper offers a brief review of the impacts of fish farming on the nutrient content and chlorophyll a in Mala Lamljana Bay, Croatia. Local loading of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds in fish farms can be very significant and can represent the largest source of N and P in a given area. Low N and P concentrations, low chlorophyll a concentration and a great variety of phytoplankton species were found in the bay, despite the high nutrient loading during the long history of farming in the bay. The phytoplankton community consisted mostly of diatoms and partly of dinoflagellates. Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros compressus were the dominant species (90%) in summer chlorophyll, which is typical for Middle Adriatic oligotrophic coastal waters. Nevertheless, further studies are required to determine changes in water column factors and planktonic communities in this area