Follow along as Friends of the San Juans improves conditions for eelgrass!
Eelgrass meadows are a cornerstone of the San Juan Islands’ marine ecosystem. But in many local herring spawning areas, eelgrass meadows have declined along with the herring populations that depend on it. Since Chinook salmon rely on herring as a critical food source, the loss of eelgrass has ripple effects throughout the entire food web.
Around the world and here at home, boat anchors and mooring buoys are known to damage eelgrass when chains drag across the seafloor. To tackle this issue locally, Friends partnered with Frog Marine to identify and fix moorings that were harming eelgrass beds. Divers inspected 150 buoys and found many located in eelgrass habitat lacked mid-line floats—the simple devices that keep chains from scouring the bottom.
With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends and Frog Marine worked with interested mooring buoy owners to install mid-line floats on 81 moorings, immediately removing this source of damage to eelgrass. Mid line floats also protect mooring lines from damage as they drag on the bottom- providing a simple win win for people and nature. This work is part of Friends’ ongoing effort to restore and protect eelgrass across the islands—supporting herring, salmon, and Southern Resident killer whales.
Shoreline property and mooring buoy owners can set eelgrass up for success in the following ways
- Evaluate, upgrade or relocate outdated mooring buoys to reduce impacts to eelgrass. Learn more about funding support to upgrade buoys located in herring and eelgrass areas.
- Protect privately owned tideland habitats with voluntary conservation easements.
- Remove unnatural marine/beach debris from eelgrass and beach habitats such as derelict docks, floats, creosote-soaked pilings, etc. Funding and technical support is available to help interested waterfront property owners assess their shoreline restoration options.
Email [email protected] for more information.
