A factory is pumping its wastewater which contains chemicals into the ocean. This is causing small numbers of plankton, nekton, and benthos to die. Conservation measures might include?

The best possible solution is for the factory to stop releasing wastewater to the ocean. If that is not possible, then the factory should investigate reducing the amount of wastewater and/or treating the wastewater beforehand to reduce it's toxicity. To determine how the wastewater should be treated, the toxicity of the wastewater should be characterised, i. e., identify the toxic elements and their concentrations. Secondly, determine what the sensitivities of marine organisms are to these toxicants. One can determine this by running eco-toxicity tests against certain marine species under laboratory conditions. This is where the animals are exposed to a range of concentrations of a particular toxicant, and the concentration threshold that causes an adverse effect can be determined. This data can guide the degree to which the wastewater should be treated. Finally, the wastewater and ocean concentrations of the toxicants should be continually monitored, and periodic assessments of marine health should be conducted.