University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs Tide Bites

Seeding the Salish Sea: First Steps of an Eelgrass Restoration Project

By Elizabeth Nilles, Michael Ramsey and Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria

The disappearance of eelgrass might seem like a trivial topic to some, but it is actually quite a concerning phenomenon.

Marine organisms and humans alike rely on the multitude of ecosystem services provided by eelgrass, such as water filtration, erosion control, carbon storage, and habitat for cultural and commercially important species.

Putting this in an economic context, it is estimated that one acre of eelgrass is worth $12,325. In other words, eelgrass decline is our canary in the coal mine; if not restored, further damage could lead to bigger issues.

In the San Juan Islands, eelgrass began to disappear at several sites in the early 2000s.

This decline carried with it major environmental and economic costs for nearshore fisheries such as the loss of spawning sites for Pacific Herring, which impacted that fishery and deprived Chinook salmon of prey.

By extension, the Southern Resident Killer Whale population was also affected due to declining Chinook salmon. Such a trophic cascade is unfortunately common when eelgrass populations begin to disappear.

It can be clearly seen that eelgrass is a vital component to both marine ecosystems and to human wellbeing and culture.

Previous attempts at restoration have typically involved the harvest and relocation of adult plants.

While effective in some scenarios, this practice is time-consuming, costly, and is not effective for large-scale restoration programs. The question is, what can be done to restore eelgrass beds throughout the Salish Sea in a cost-effective and ecologically efficient way?

Read more at fhl.uw.edu.

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