Resuming our proper observations and taking in account the collected data in the literature we can conclude that: (1) diatoms and copepods are the principal components of the Oostende plankton; (2) concentration of zoo- and phytoplankton is highest in summer and autumn; (3) there is a physico-chemical and biological gradient between the front and rear of the port. The gradation is decreasing for salinity, oxygen concentration, pH, number of marine species and the total biomass. The gradient is increasing for temperature and freshwater organisms; (4) several observed species are new to the Belgian coast: 4 copepods, 5 ciliophores, 1 cumacean and 2 diatoms; (5) although the number of species typical for a port is small, several species (observed in large quantities before) seem not to be present now or haven't been observed for several years. This seems to prove that seawater pollution has substantially increased in the port in the course of the last years.
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