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Topic: Eelgrass

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	Marine Life Fact Sheets - Common Eelgrass
		Eelgrass is found submerged (underwater) or floating primarily in colonies.
		Eelgrass can also spread by seed, which is a slower method of reproduction, but can broadcast offspring over a greater distance.
		Eelgrass beds are also a critical nursery area for juvenile salmon and cod which seek protection within the beds from predators.
	www.whatcom-mrc.wsu.edu /Fact_Sheets/common_eelgrass.htm (572 words)

	RISAA Affiliate [Save The Bay - Educational Series - Eelgrass] March 2001
		Eelgrass beds are always completely submerged, and their roots, known as rhizomes, anchor the grass to sandy or muddy bottoms.
		Eelgrass is sometimes misidentified as saltmarsh cordgrass, a plant that grows at the edge of the shore in the intertidal zone and is commonly submerged at high tide.
		Eelgrass is one of the Bay's most important and vital habitats for a wide range of fish and wildlife, including flounder, scallops,and crabs.
	www.risaa.org /savethebay/eelgrass.html (433 words)

	Eelgrass
		Eelgrass beds grow in shallow bays and coves, tidal creeks, and estuaries.
		Some scientists believe this destruction has been caused by human activities such as dredging and boat propeller scouring, and that the seabeds have been denied sunlight by increasing masses of algae (stimulated by nutrient pollution) as well as by increased levels of suspended sediments from land runoff.
		There is a general consensus among scientists that the loss of eelgrass meadows has resulted in the decline in fisheries populations although declines in species abundance can not be quantified (cod, shellfish, scallops).
	www.ocean.udel.edu /kiosk/eelgrass.html (257 words)

	Southern California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy
		Eelgrass (Zostera marina) vegetated areas are recognized as important ecological communities in shallow bays and estuaries because of their multiple biological and physical values.
		Eelgrass functions as a nursery area for many commercially and recreational important finfish and shellfish species, including those that are resident within bays and estuaries, as well as oceanic species that enter estuaries to breed or spawn.
		Eelgrass transplants shall be considered only after the normal provisions and policies regarding avoidance and minimization, as addressed in the Section 404 Mitigation Memorandum of Agreement between the Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency, have been pursued to the fullest extent possible prior to the development of any mitigation program.
	swr.ucsd.edu /hcd/eelpol.htm (2658 words)

	Eelgrass in Puget Sound - A New Study of Flow, Sediment Transport, and Zostera marina
		Eelgrass is threatened by human activities that increase water turbidity (such as agriculture or road building), block light (construction of docks), or disturb the bottom (anchoring or dredging).
		Eelgrass grows taller (greater than 1 m) and in deeper water in the San Juan Islands than elsewhere in the sound because the water is clearer there.
		The role of storms in disturbing or destroying eelgrass is poorly understood, as is the relation between meadow density and the ability to survive storms.
	soundwaves.usgs.gov /2004/09 (862 words)

	PTMSC Science Topics Eelgrass (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The development of the eelgrass community starts with a coating of diatoms on the eelgrass blades to which bacteria and other algae are then able to attach.
		Eelgrass is the main diet for such waterfowl as the fl brant and canada goose as well as animals as snails and green urchins.
		Eelgrass blades were found in the stomach of an abyssal rattail fish caught far off the Oregon coast.
	www.ptmsc.org /science/topics/eelgrass.htm (1123 words)

	Whidbey eelgrass project scores unique success (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass beds are one of a number of near-shore seabed types, or substrates, that provide shelter for different types of life.
		Eelgrass meadows grow up to 4 1/2 feet tall in northern waters, their blades swaying in the waves like a wheat field nudged by a breeze.
		Given the fragility of eelgrass beds, and the slowness of their propagation rates in cold northern waters, Thom suspects that they have shrunk under the onslaught of public and private docks and dredging projects.
	seattlep-i.nwsource.com /local/eel01.shtml (1551 words)

	Monterey Bay Aquarium: Online Field Guide
		Eelgrass is one of the few marsh plants to grow under water in coastal wetlands.
		Eelgrass beds are home to a variety of animals, including perfectly camouflaged pipefish that look like leaves with eyeballs.
		Eelgrass is one of the few flowering plants that grow in the oceans.
	www.mbayaq.org /efc/living_species?hOri=0&hab=2&inhab=138 (126 words)

	Puget Sound Shorelines: Species - Eelgrass (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass is not a seaweed; it is a blooming underwater grass which spreads by rhizomes or roots.
		Eelgrass meadows build up in the spring and summer, then decay in the fall and winter.
		Within eelgrass meadows, there is food and shelter for a wide variety of sea anemones, marine worms, snails, limpets, crabs, birds, and fish.
	www.ecy.wa.gov /programs/sea/pugetsound/species/eelgrass.html (484 words)

	Affects of Time and Spatial Variation on the Spectral Signature of Eelgrass (Zoestra marina L (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass is an important habitat of the near-shore as it is home to different life stages of many species of crustacean and fish.
		Eelgrass is an important near-shore habitat because of the species diversity that is associated with it.
		It is proposed that as a day progresses and the photosynthetic effort of eelgrass increases, we will see an increasing shift in the spectral signature with regards to those bands of light used in photosynthesis, and we expect the same results with an increase in eelgrass density.
	students.washington.edu /rustyb/Ocean443Proposal.html (1283 words)

	Save The Bay (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass beds are a primary source of food and shelter to an abundance of marine life including economically important finfish and shellfish species, such as the bay scallop.
		The most significant threat to remaining eelgrass in Narragansett Bay, and a deterrent to its long-term recovery is nutrient pollution from sewage and polluted runoff from the land.
		Though eelgrass beds are afforded extra protection under the Federal Clean Water Act, state policy regarding eelgrass protection is too broad and allows activities that are destructive to the little remaining eelgrass in the Bay.
	www.savebay.org /bayissues/eelgrass.htm (1934 words)

	Eelgrass
		To the scuba diver, eelgrass is a jungle, to many marine invertebrates and fish it is a haven and nursery.
		Eelgrass is not a seaweed or algae; it is a true flowering plant and a monocot (a plant having a single seed leaf).
		The vital importance of eelgrass was first noted by Danish biologists in 1890, but it was revealed dramatically in 1931 when a serious fungal disease and a change in ocean currents that brought warmer waters to the extensive Atlantic Zostera meadows teamed up to kill this species.
	seagrant.gso.uri.edu /factsheets/eelgrass.html (1063 words)

	Eelgrass (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a true submerged aquatic plant, found from the low tide mark to about 3 meters water depth, and should not be confused with the salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) of the upper intertidal zone.
		Healthy eelgrass beds comprise an essential fish and shellfish habitat, providing protection and abundant food for juveniles of several species, including tautog, sea bass, squeteague, cunner, tomcod, winter flounder, sticklebacks, and scallops.
		As the water becomes cloudy with blooming phytoplankton, the eelgrass is starved for light and is unable to maintain growth and health.
	ecosystems.mbl.edu /Research/Clue/eelgrass.html (148 words)

	GOM Times - Eelgrass: Essential or expendable in the Gulf?
		Eelgrass protection proponents say the plants serve as refuge and nursery for juvenile finfish and shellfish, and as food for fish, invertebrates, and waterfowl.
		If eelgrass were crucial to the survival of fish in the Gulf, devastating results would have occurred in the 1930s, when 90 percent of the eelgrass beds in the North Atlantic region were destroyed by a marine slime mold known as the mass wasting disease, Steneck stated.
		Eelgrass is also vulnerable to the long-term effects of docks, moored boats, and other structures that shade the plants from the light they need.
	www.gulfofmaine.org /times/summer98/5a.html (1245 words)

	Information about Eelgrass in Buzzards Bay Massachusetts
		Eelgrass is an herbaceous monocot composed of 3-7 strap-like leaves, bound together in a sheath attached to an underground rhizome.
		The common pattern for eelgrass loss in response to nitrogen loading is that the depth to which the vegetation grows decreases, and disappears first in the most enriched areas of the bay (typically in the upper estuary) and along the deeper edges of beds.
		Because eelgrass is largely dependent upon water transparency, and because areas exists in the such harbors in the Elizabeth Islands, and Nearby Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod embayments that illustrate the depth that eelgrass may grow with relatively low nitrogen loading rates.
	www.buzzardsbay.org /eelgrass.htm (3962 words)

	The Eelgrass beds of our estuaries (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		So much so that walking on a muddy, smelly, oozing estuary bed with the eelgrass snaking around your legs, you might wonder what sort of living beings are hidden from your view and what hidden creatures might grab you.
		Eelgrass is not a seaweed, even though the dried fl strands of this plant can be found washed ashore on our ocean beaches and are often confused with seaweed.
		The Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a true submerged, aquatic, flowering plant that lives in our estuaries, especially in the large expanses of shallow water behind barrier beaches, called lagoons.
	www.elements.nb.ca /theme/marine/sabine/sabine.htm (745 words)

	RI Seagrass Habitats
		Eelgrass beds are susceptible to destruction and degradation by increased turbidity, increased nutrient loading from urban runoff, and destruction by boat propellers or invasive predators (Save the Sound, Inc., 1998).
		The most significant threats to the remaining eelgrass beds in Narragansett Bay, and a deterrent to their long-term recovery, are nutrient pollution from sewage and polluted runoff from the land.
		Eelgrass restoration methods to date have focused primarily on transplantation of either small clusters of plants or denser, sod-like sections.
	www.edc.uri.edu /restoration/html/intro/sea.htm (1594 words)

	Eelgrass Habitat (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass is neither a grass nor a seaweed.
		Eelgrass may be found growing just a few feet under water or at depths up to 100 feet or more if the water is unusually clear (e.g.
		Eelgrass habitats are found in most of the world's coastal regions except at extremely high latitudes.
	www.botos.com /marine/egrass01.html (888 words)

	Effects of commercial fishing activities on eelgrass in New England (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is the dominant seagrass species of northern temperate coastal waters, where it contributes vital functions to the ecological integrity and economic value of coastal ecosystems.
		Various human-induced disturbances have contributed to declines in distribution and abundance of eelgrass in New England and elsewhere, with the direct effects of human activities emerging as a significant source of local habitat loss with the potential for large-scale cumulative impacts.
		Implementation of policies to protect eelgrass from adverse affects of fishing is hampered by the paucity of scientific information on the extent of disturbance from commercial harvest operations and the recovery potential within impacted areas.
	me.water.usgs.gov /eelgrass.html (449 words)

	Auke Bay Laboratory Habitat Investigations - Fish Use of Eelgrass and Kelp Habitat (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is an important component of nearshore habitats and is widely distributed in lower intertidal and subtidal areas on both coasts of the United States and in Alaska north to the Seward Peninsula.
		Eelgrass provides food production and physical structure for the biological community, and is nursery habitat for many commercial fisheries species.
		The role of eelgrass and kelp as fish habitat needs to be documented to support decisions balancing development activities with conservation of essential fish habitat.
	www.afsc.noaa.gov /abl/habitat/Eelgrass.htm (423 words)

	Bay Grass ID Key > Eelgrass
		Eelgrass occurs along both coasts of the United States, and the Chesapeake Bay is near the southern limit of its distribution on the east coast.
		Eelgrass is important habitat for blue crabs that use the beds for protective cover during mating and as juveniles.
		Because wild celery prefers lower salinity and eelgrass higher salinity, the two species are not known to occur in the same location although their salinity ranges overlap slightly.
	www.dnr.state.md.us /bay/sav/key/eelgrass.asp (472 words)

	Eelgrass Project (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass meadows create intricate thickets on otherwise flat sand plains that provide substrate, shelter, and food for a host of plants, invertebrates, and fishes.
		A front of hungry urchins moved upslope from depths of 60 feet and began to devour the eelgrass meadow, and by 1991, all of the eelgrass (and kelp) was gone.
		Permits Since eelgrass is recognized as a sensitive species, permission to transplant it is needed from state agencies.
	www.sbck.org /issues/eelgrass.htm (2278 words)

	Audubon: True Nature (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		An eelgrass sward is an apartment complex, a nursery for threatened species, a cafeteria, and a grand mulch-making machine that supports an entire web of marine life in shallow waters off the coast.
		The mature eelgrass plant is also a veritable underwater ark. A forest of single-cell diatoms, algae, and bacteria live on the leaves, forming a distinctive brown felt that's rich in nutrients.
		The key to eelgrass keeping upright in the water column is the plant's built-in air channels and the bubbles of oxygen it produces during photosynthesis.
	magazine.audubon.org /truenature/truenature0309.html (1691 words)

	NOAA Photo Library/NOAA Restoration Center Catalog (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		John Catena hands a tray of eelgrass turf over the side of the boat to the scientists in the water.
		Eelgrass, Zostera marina contributes substantially to the health of coastal ecosystems.
		Eelgrass meadows provide shelter and spawning habitat for fish and shellfish and the living blades or leaves provide food for waterfowl like brant and Canada Geese.
	www.photolib.noaa.gov /habrest/wpe.htm (738 words)

	CBI - (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Eelgrass beds are important habitat for salmon and other species at various times in their life history.
		Two densities of eelgrass beds plus a number of other vegetation classes and substrate types could be mapped for the entire bay using the results from the image classification.
		Eelgrass beds were found to cover nearly 11% of the area of Tillamook Bay with the majority of the dense beds (composed of mostly Zostera marina L.) in the northern 1/2 of the bay (Figure 1).
	www.consbio.org /cbi/applied_research/eelgrass/eelgrass.htm (547 words)

	Faculty and Researchers - Susan Williams, Ph.D.
		Eelgrass is a valuable marine plant that forms meadows in shallow regions of bays in the northern hemisphere.
		Eelgrass is valuable because many economically important marine species depend on it for food and habitat.
		*Eelgrass should not be dissected into a patchwork of smaller and smaller pieces by dredging channels or building docks.
	www.bml.ucdavis.edu /facresearch/williams.html (875 words)

	Eelgrass Beds (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		The encrusting algae and invertebrates on the eelgrass blades are as important as the plant itself as a food source for other species.
		Eelgrass also increases the productivity of soft substrate habitats, by ensuring food and shelter for all the species that forage and hide in the eelgrass.
		Eelgrass meadows occur in shallow water, near the shore, and hence, are threatened by some types of coastal development activities.
	www.habitat.adfg.state.ak.us /geninfo/kbrr/coolkbayinfo/kbec_cd/html/ecosys/estuarin/eelgrass.htm (1093 words)

	Eelgrass
		Eelgrass habitat quality and quantity will be an important component in the model.
		Initial responses to the social applicability of the model among the towns contacted indicate a high degree of enthusiasm and anticipation, and an eagerness to participate in the study.
		In those communities bordering estuaries with extant eelgrass beds, land use decisions should minimize nitrogen loading that could jeopardize the integrity of this essential fish habitat.
	ecosystems.mbl.edu /staffweb/ldeegan/eelgrass.html (757 words)

	Eelgrass provides a refuge from predators for some fish species
		Mesocosms containing marine sediments, coastal water, and varying densities of eelgrass or macroalgae were used to simulate conditions found in shallow coastal lagoons of Rhode Island.
		Prey fish were provided in equally weighted rations and included silversides, tautog, cunner, and menhaden, all species found in local eelgrass meadows and all part of the bluefish diet.
		The scientists found that the presence of eelgrass significantly increased survival of silversides, tautog, and cunner even at very low shoot densities.
	www.innovations-report.com /html/reports/environment_sciences/report-36812.html (454 words)

	PTMSC Eelgrass Information (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
		Harvesting eelgrass is a time of happiness, shouting, and laughter; "everyone gets wet!" The Seri wait until the plants are floating loose in great masses near the shore.
		Many factors have influenced the accuracy of later eelgrass mapping, which was done mainly by aerial or satellite photos but without regard to seasonal growth cycles, tidal elevation or area of coverage.
		A slight rise in water temperature weakened the eelgrass, leaving it vulnerable to infection and death from a normally harmless bacteria.
	www.ptmsc.org /html/eelgrass.html (2372 words)

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