60 acres of eel grass coming to Burton’s Bay

By Linda Cicoira

Christopher Patrick and Richard Snyder, researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Eastern Shore Lab, and staff and volunteers from The Nature Conservancy will join forces to plant at least 60 acres of eelgrass and release more than six million bay scallops into the shallow waters of Burton’s Bay.

The four-year project is funded by a $2.25 million grant from NOAA and will expand the already successful efforts to restore seagrass and scallops to the seaside bay. The undertaking also has support of the DEQ’s Coastal Zone Management Program and the VMRC.

It will build on VIMS’ success in leading the decades-long effort to restore the South Bay region of the Eastern Shore. The area was mostly barren when Robert Orth, also of VIMS, began seagrass restoration efforts in 1999. Now, it is home to nearly 10,000 acres of lush eelgrass meadow and is the most successful seagrass restoration project in the world, according to a recent report. In 2009, VIMS begin restoring a viable bay scallop population to these underwater grass beds. Both the grass and the scallops had been functionally extinct from the area since 1933, due to seagrass wasting disease and a devastating hurricane.

Christopher Patrick, head of the Seagrass Monitoring and Restoration Program, said the Burtons Bay project will benefit far more than just eelgrass. “Our work represents a whole ecosystem restoration. Eelgrass is a key foundation species that not only improves water clarity, increases oxygen concentrations and reduces erosion, but also creates essential habitat for bay scallops, waterfowl and other marine organisms.”

Eelgrass beds help protect bay scallops from predators and strong currents. (VIMS photo)

Richard Snyder, who heads the agency’s Eastern Shore Lab in Wachapreague, said the project will have socio-economic benefits. “Restoration of eelgrass meadows boosts the productivity and biodiversity of local ecosystems,” he says. “Eelgrass meadows enhance charter fishing, recreational hunting and fishing, ecotourism and commercial wild harvests of blue crabs and other species.”

These benefits extend regionally, as eelgrass provides nursery and forging habitat for many species of migratory fishes.

“We now have decades of experience in collecting, storing, and planting eelgrass seeds; as well as in monitoring the abundance and distribution of the seeded beds,” said Patrick. “Our prior work shows excellent potential for expansion beyond planted areas, with a current return on investment of 20 acres for every acre planted over a 20-year period.”

If that holds true for Burtons Bay, the 60 planted acres should eventually spread to more than 1,000 acres of eelgrass meadow.