Studies evaluating anthropogenic impacts on coastal organisms tend to focus on adult populations (Johnston & Keough 2002, Lindegarth & Underwood 2002, Fukunaga et al. 2010). However, most invertebrate species have a planktonic larval stage and these larvae may be exposed to different stressors or react differently to the same stressors than do later life stages (Pechenik 1987, Pechenik et al. 1998). For example, a rocky reef subtidal benthic population may not be exposed to significant level of pollution.Yet planktonic larvae may encounter a highly polluted river plume far away from the source population and be affected by even a short exposure time. Therefore pollution may induce a decrease in the adult population via impacts on early life stages.