Eelgrass (Zostera marina)

(Photo courtesy Drs. T. and S. Wyllie-Echeverria)

Eelgrass is a seagrass (a perennial plant) that can be found growing in shallow waters around the inland sea of Washington and British Columbia from the shallow subtidal (2.5 feet) to as deep as 30 feet. Eelgrass has been likened to a "nursery" that provides an important attachment surface for a wide variety of organisms. Films of bacteria, diatoms, and detritus form on the leaves and provide food for protozoans, microscopic worms, and small crustaceans. Larger animals in turn eat these. Other species like birds, snails, and urchins feed on the leaves of eelgrass. Because eelgrass is so important in the nearshore ecosystem, it used as an indicator of estuary health throughout the world. Changes in environmental conditions are often reflected in changes in eelgrass abundance and distribution. Shoreline armoring, shading from docks, drag from mooring buoys, dredging, propeller wash, and pollution are some of threats facing eelgrass meadows in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia. For more information about eelgrass, visit the Port Townsend Marine Science Centers website. IMPORTANT UPDATE Recent surveys indicate that more than 35 acres (14 ha) of this submerged habitat has disappeared from two documented Pacific herring spawn sites on northwest San Juan County, Washington. On July 26, 2003, the SeaDoc Society sponsored a task force that included regional eelgrass experts, resource managers, and land-use specialists. The group could not determine an immediate cause for the loss so a plan for more intensive research was developed. A report was prepared to (1) inform agencies and citizens on what is known about this loss of eelgrass stands and (2) assist in the development of a science-based program to identify the potential causes to ensure that similar losses, if preventable, do not occur throughout the region. The SeaDoc Society is now running an Eelgrass Watch campaign. Please contact Joe Gaydos, (360) 376-3910 or jkgaydos@ucdavis.edu, if you would like to find out more about how to help.