Science

Nearshore Assessments

Eelgrass Health

Habitat Protection

Shoreline Restoration

At Risk Species

Invasive Species

eelgrass health

Saving our Underwater Ark

Scientists from the FRIENDS of the San Juans (FRIENDS), the University of Washington (UW), the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are collaboratively working to teamed to understand the state of Zostera marina (eelgrass) resources at selected sites in San Juan County.

Z. marina is a marine flowering plant that grows in soft-bottom (sand/silt) habitats in nearshore environments throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Spreading by creeping rhizomes and seed set, these submerged plants can form disconnected patches or large meadows, depending on environmental conditions, which in turn provide valuable ecological services. Eelgrass prairies provide critical food, shelter and migratory habitat for hundreds of species of fish, birds and invertebrates. Species commonly associated with Z. marina meadows in San Juan County include out-migrating juvenile salmon, Pacific herring, Dungeness crab and Great Blue Herons.

FRIENDS of the San Juans surveyed San Juan County for Z. marina presence in 2003 and found populations distributed in the nearshore region of more than 140 linear miles of shoreline. However, in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), WDNR and UW, FRIENDS also documented that losses were occurring within multiple shallow-water sites. With funding from the Russell Family Foundation, UW and WDNR scientists determined that the most dramatic losses occurred in Blind Bay (Shaw), Mitchell Bay (San Juan), Nelson Bay (Henry) and Westcott Bay (San Juan) between 1995 and 2004.

Loss of this critical habitat is likely costing the citizens of San Juan County and Washington State over $800,000 per year in lost revenues from reduced availability of Pacific herring, Dungeness crab and impacts to salmon. To prevent further losses in the county, a collaborative research approach will help determine the causes for decline and then restore eelgrass in the event that vectors causing decline are no longer present.

Through a collaborative effort, FRIENDS, has launched a two-year investigation to understand why these declines occurred and help inform potential restoration efforts. Our evaluation will include site specific information such as plant density and growth patterns, water quality conditions and sediment characteristics.

Funding has been provided through the Washington State Salmon Recovery Board. For more information or to get involved in Z. marina (eelgrass) protection please contact the FRIENDS of the San Juans at 360-378-2319.