"“They're a nursery habitat — a lot of young fish and crustaceans and other organisms grow up in them,” he said. “If we don't have seagrasses, we don't have bay scallops at all in these ecosystems.”
Eelgrass also protects against coastal erosion, Long said. The meadows absorb some of the energy from waves before they hit the coast, and the plants' roots help stabilize mud and sand in coastal bays. Plus, they help keep climate-changing carbon out of the atmosphere by storing it in sediment.
(. . .)
But this critical plant is in decline. If scientists can't find a way to help eelgrass flourish, the results could hurt fishermen and coastal communities."
Eelgrass is a critical habitat for fish, protects against coastal erosion and stores carbon. But it's threatened by pollution and climate change. Dozens of local scientists are working to protect and restore New England's seagrass meadows.
#Seagrass-#oyster facilitation at risk under future #ocean conditions
https://jecologyblog.com/2024/10/14/seagrass-oyster-facilitation-at-risk-under-future-ocean-conditions/
Shifting seagrass-oyster interactions alter species response to ocean #warming and #acidification: Katherine DuBois et al. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.14406
"When grown in co-culture, #oysters and seagrass have may offset the negative effects of #climate related stressors on one another... Under future ocean conditions with higher temperatures & lower pH, oysters’ positive impact on #eelgrass growth disappear"
Part of the ongoing #rewilding & #nature #restoration work I do with fellow caring local #environmentalists is planting #EelGrass in areas where we are trying to bump up #ocean #oxygen levels & bring back more #biodiversity in the seas. Eel grass purposeful planting into ocean beds(with divers) & beaches at low tide is an essential part of restoring biodiversity back to human damaged areas in ocean.
#ClimateAction #VancouverIsland #Nature #Stewardship #Wsanec #Saanich #GoodNews #PacificNorthwest #PNW #VanIsle #Ecological #Ecosystems #Marine #OceanScience #naturalists #SalishSea #Aquatic #SeaPlants #botanical #Cascadia #SeaGrass
Fight to save #PugetSound #KelpBed underscores NW #habitat challenges
July 25, 2024
"The #WashingtonState Department of Natural Resources and the #SquaxinIslandTribe have announced a partnership to conserve the #SquaxinIsland Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.
"DNR and the Squaxin Island Tribe will work to surround the kelp bed with a priority habitat zone, try to reduce #environmental stresses to improve the kelp bed’s health, and partner with #PugetSoundRestorationFund on future #restoration projects, according to a news release.
"Since 2013, DNR and Squaxin Island staff have seen a 97% decline in the kelp bed, which holds both ecological and cultural significance. In #Oregon, the #coastline lost more than two-thirds of its canopy of #BullKelp.
"'We recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource,' said #KrisPeters, Squaxin Island Tribe chairman, in a statement. '#Squaxins can’t do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental.'
"The Squaxin Island Kelp Bed is the first habitat DNR is prioritizing in its statewide #KelpForest and #Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, which state legislation directed DNR to hatch in response to the loss of bull kelp and eelgrass on the Washington coastline.
"The plan’s goal is to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.
"Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and Grays Harbor. As DNR works toward its 10,000-acre goal, it intends to explore conservation and recovery in all sub-basins, according to DNR’s website.
"'Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,' Peters said in a statement. '#KelpBeds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the #SalishSea.'"
#Northwest #LandBack
#NativeKnowledge #Nature #IndigenousKnowledge #conservation #sustainability #decolonization #PacificNorthwest #PNW #environmental
#IndigenousLedProject
#reclamation #decolonialism #Restoration #Landback #Rewilding #RestoreNature #Salish
Half of all #eelgrass in #CascoBay has died within last four years, experts say
Eelgrass, according to Friends of Casco Bay, is home to juvenile lobster and fish. Without eelgrass, much of Maine's seafood economy loses its base, they said.
By Jack Molmud
March 29, 2023
SOUTH PORTLAND, #Maine — According to a report from Friends of Casco Bay, 54 percent of all eelgrass meadows in Casco Bay have died off since 2018.
"This comes as the 2022 to 2023 winter saw water temps reach four degrees above average.
"'My first response was it's heartbreaking,' Will Everitt, the executive director of Friends of Casco Bay said. 'My second response was now is the time we have to do more than ever to protect the bay.'
"Everitt said eelgrass is dying due to a combination of consequences from the warm water.
"Warm water attracts more invasive #GreenCrabs, which cut the eelgrass and eat softshell crabs, he said. This disturbs the naturally-occurring species, he said.
"'When we have a really cold winter it can kill back the green crabs,' Everitt said.
"He added a warm winter won't kill as many green crabs, allowing them to reproduce and spawn more green crabs for summer and fall.
"'The loss of this is tragic and could have a huge impact on our coastal waters,' Everitt said.
"Everitt added the #WarmingOceans in Maine also result in more frequent #AlgaeBlooms, which prevent the eelgrass from accessing proper sunlight to grow.
"Fewer eelgrass meadows mean fewer lobsters in inshore waters, he added.
"'A number of critters in the bay depend on this... the warming waters are going to do a number on this if it continues,' Everitt said.
"If the situation continues to worsen, Everitt suggested experts would recommend planting eelgrass from more southern states so that subspecies can handle the warmer temperatures Maine is set to experience."
#FriendsOfCascoBay #SaltMarshes #SaveTheWetlands #EelGrass #SaveTheWetlands
#SaveTheMarshes #ProtectNature #NewEngland #GulfOfMaine
#Maine’s #SaltMarshes are at risk of disappearing, from #RisingSeaLevels and much more
A University of Maine analysis suggests a significant portion of them could be gone by the end of the century, without a lot of human intervention.
Posted July 28, 2024
Kate CoughMaine Monitor
Wetland loss may be “difficult to reverse”
"For much of American history, the marsh has often been considered more of an impediment than an asset; something to be filled, ditched, dug and bulldozed into something more useful.
"More than half of the #wetlands that existed at the start of the #RevolutionaryWar are gone, according to estimates from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — much of them altered by farming, but also lost to houses, #StripMalls, #marinas and other #development."
#EelGrass #SaveTheWetlands #SaveTheMarshes #Capitalism #CorporateColonialism #ProtectNature #NewEngland
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