Successful Eelgrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis>) Restoration in a Formerly Eutrophic Estuary (Boston Harbor) Supports the Use of a Multifaceted Watershed Approach to Mitigating Eelgrass Loss |
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Authors: | Alison S Leschen Kathryn H Ford N Tay Evans |
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Institution: | (1) South Shore Field Station, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, New Bedford, MA, USA;(2) North Shore Field Station, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Gloucester, MA, USA;(3) Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Waquoit, MA, USA |
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Abstract: | From a watershed perspective, Boston Harbor, MA, USA is an ideal site for eelgrass restoration due to major wastewater improvements.
Therefore, by focusing on site selection and transplant methods, high survival and expansion rates were recorded at four large
eelgrass-restoration sites planted in Boston Harbor as partial mitigation for a pipeline construction project. Transplanted
sites met and exceeded reference and donor bed habitat function after 2 years. Hand planting and seeding in checkerboard-patterned
transplant plots were efficient and effective methods for jump-starting eelgrass growth over large areas. Although restoration
through planting can be successful, it is highly site specific. Even using a published site-selection model, intensive fieldwork
was required to identify sites at fine enough scale to ensure successful planting. Given the effort required to identify scarce
potential sites, we recommend that future focus includes alternative mitigation strategies that can more adequately prevent
eelgrass loss and address water quality degradation which is the leading cause of dieback, site unsuitability for planting,
and lack of natural re-colonization. |
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