Photo: Margaret Cuthbert
Volunteers work in an eelgrass bed.
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"The complex and intricate food webs of an
eelgrass meadow rival the world's richest farmlands and
tropical forests." (Dr.
Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria)
Eelgrass is a flowering
marine plant found intertidally to about 50 feet deep. Two
species of eelgrass are found in Boundary Bay – the native
Zostera marina and the introduced Zostera japonica.
Eelgrass is vitally important for many reasons. The
extensive root system helps to stabilize mudflat beaches and
prevent erosion of shorelines. Over 80% of all commercial
fish (including Pacific herring, salmon, Pacific cod and
Lingcod), crab and shellfish depend on eelgrass habitat for
at least part of their lifecycle and for 30 – 70% of their
diet. Fish spawn, attached to the leaves, is an important
food for migrating seabirds, grey whales, seals and other
marine mammals. After they die, the decomposing blades of
eelgrass turn into detritus which provides food for over 120
species of invertebrates. The invertebrates in turn provide
food for fish, shorebirds, ducks and Brant geese. As well,
eelgrass meadows provide shelter and nurseries for many
invertebrate and fish species.
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Eelgrass plays a critical role in moderating the effects of
climate change. Recent reports by the United Nations
Environmental Protection Department have noted that eelgrass
and seagrass can store carbon with an efficiency of up to 90
times that of forests.
It is estimated that 15% of the world’s total seagrass areas
have been lost. The trend towards habitat degradation
continues as population increases in coastal regions.
Eelgrass habitat is threatened by dredging and filing,
structures such as docks and marinas and pollution.
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Photo:
Michael Harvey Kelp Crab in eelgrass |
Seagrasses cover 6,000,000 sq
km worldwide but only 150,000 have been mapped.
The B.C. Coastal Eelgrass Stewardship
Project was implemented in 2002 to conserve and protect
eelgrass habitat along the B.C. coast. Since then, over 1000
volunteers have mapped about 12,000 ha. along the B.C.
coast. The B.C. Conservation
Initiative is involved with mapping and monitoring eelgrass
and entering the data into the Community Mapping Network.
The Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society has been working with
the Seagrass Conservation Working Group and B.C. Coastal
Eelgrass Stewardship Project in Boundary Bay since 2002.
Work this year will involve a continuation of the Mapping
and Monitoring Program. An eelgrass transplant mitigation
project was conducted at White Rock Pier after dredging by
the City of White Rock in 2003. Another pilot project was
conducted by Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society at Blackie
Spit in 2007 (see link to report below).
Stay tuned for
updates on how you can help protect this critical resource.
Click Here
for a copy of our informational eelgrass brochure.
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Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, with partners, invites you to celebrate
Boundary Bay, Canada's Top Bird Area.
