Being abundant, having a short life cycle and covering a wide range size, polychaetes from the families Nereidae and Dorvilleidae are suitable for assessing the toxicity of sediments. They a re good monitors of the presence and bioaccumulation potential of anthropogenic compounds such as PCBs, PAH and metal organic complexes as the polychaetes accumulate deleterious materials within their tissues in concentrations proportional to concentrat ions found in the environment. The presence and absence of specific polychaetes in sediments provides an indicator of the condition and health of the benthic environment as they are the dominant microfauna within the fine sediments. Large numbers of the families Capitellidae and Spionidae found to the exlusion of others have been accepted widely as pollution indicators. He further suggests that if Paramphinome, Ceratocephale, Harmothoe and Lumbrineris are absent, and the diversity is low, the chances that the site is impacted is g reat.
Polychaetes are very useful organisms for monitoring the marine environment.
They are readily available, easy to sample, available commercially and easy to maintain. They respond quickly to changes in environmental conditions. The ability to monitor different phases in the recovery of disturbed sites is possible because the different species of polychaetes appear after the cessation of the impact. The main limitation of using polychaetes as monitors are the paucity of taxonomic and biological information for many species. The expertise to work on polychaetes is being improved and the potential for their greater use is being recognized.