Kuala Juru is one of several thousand fishingvillages on the coastline of Malaysia. Cockle farming is a major income-source for the fishermen in the Juru area since 1976 (ILO, 1986). This was due to the fishing activities in the Juru area being adversely affected by pollution from neighboring industries since Juru is an industrial area with food and electronic manufacturing industries (Lim and Kiu, 1995). As a result, fishing decreased dramatically since high mortality and low fecundity were found in the fish population. The villagers on their own initiative decided to turn to farming cockles, which are more resistant than fish to chemical pollution. They have been doing this on a collective basis since July 1976 (ILO, 1986). Besides thriving easily and needing little or no maintenance, cockles are also cheap and they can provide a rich source of nutrients (Lowe and Kendall, 1990). Today, Juru is one of the most productive mudflats for cockle farming in Peninsular Malaysia but the pollution inputs due to urban and industrial activities in the Juru area are of much ecotoxicological concern.