Development and validation of biocriteria using benthic macroinvertebrates for North Carolina estuarine waters.

Biological criteria were developed to assess water quality in mesohaline and polyhaline estuarine waters in North Carolina. The criteria used a combination of three metrics: a new 'Hilsenhoff-type' biotic index incorporating the sensitivity to pollution of each taxon and its relative abundance, total number of taxa, and number of amphipod and caridean shrimp taxa. Agreement with an independent data set was 90%, as was within site repeatability of this biocriteria over a range of water qualities and salinities. The versatility of the biotic index is discussed relative to other sampling methods and in other parts of the world.