Abstract

Numerous worldwide policies, including European laws like the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, have long examined phytoplankton as a crucial environmental quality indicator. These regulations call for extensive monitoring networks that use indicators that represent various phytoplankton properties, such as composition, to measure water quality. Additionally, phytoplankton monitoring systems are necessary in bivalve mollusk growing sites worldwide in order to manage potential toxicity. The succession of species, which in turn is impacted by environmental changes, is a necessary component of phytoplankton assemblages. The examination of phytoplankton communities, however, is also accompanied by a number of sources of variance. The standard procedure for identifying and counting phytoplankton in the European Union is the microscope-based method using the Utermöhl technique. This strategy calls for highly specialized taxonomists, yet most studies exhibit bias since different taxonomists have different levels of knowledge.