Contemporary state of macrophytobenthos along the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea

Abstract. The contemporary assessment of macroalgal species distribution is based on qualitative and quantitative parameters (taxonomy, abundance, biomass, seasonal dynamics, habitat description, etc.) and indices of phytobenthos diversity. The analyses made in the period 2011 – 2012 allowed to define the ecological status of coastal water bodies (one-mile zone) as a dynamic variation from "very poor" to "very good”. An improvement was established from north to south, explainable by the prevailing anthropogenic pollution in the northern Bulgarian coastal zone – active recreational activities, industry and impact of transformed waters from the Danube. The aim was to carry out an ecological assessment of the Bulgarian coastal waters of the Black sea using the biological quality element (BQE) – macrophytobenthos according to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/EC)