Although considerable study has been centered upon intertidal organisms with respect to their response to oil spills, most investigations have been conducted on exposed rocky intertidal habitats (1). Few studies are available which describe the response of benthic animal communities in mid-Atlantic estuaries and particularly in its largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay. This study documents both from field survey data and laboratory bioassay studies the effects of an accidental oil spill on the intertidal benthic communities of the Lower York River, Virginia
