There may be lots more of Puget Sound that supports or can support eelgrass, a critical habitat that salmon, sand lance, herring and other species use at various stages of their lives. Eelgrass is seen as a very important component of this marine system—and more is definitely better.
The new study by scientists in the ‘Nearshore Habitat Program’ at DNR explores the potential for the recovery of eelgrass in greater Puget Sound.
The study estimates the total area in Puget Sound within the eelgrass depth range, based on existing depth (bathymetry) data, and compares that estimate to current estimates of areas that have an abundance of eelgrass. Not all areas in this depth range can support eelgrass—for example, rocky shorelines will not support eelgrass.
However, the study—Area of Eelgrass Depth Bands in Greater Puget Sound—found that the total area within the eelgrass depth range is substantially larger than the recovery target recently adopted by the Puget Sound Partnership, the state’s lead in coordinating the cleanup and restoration of Puget Sound by 2020.
This suggests that additional areas are available for eelgrass expansion—both through an increase in eelgrass coverage within its current depth range and through expansion of the depth range of eelgrass in response to changes in environmental factors—the most important of which is improved water quality.
3D computer image of depth data at Salmon Bank off San Juan Island. A large eelgrass depth range area is indicated by the thin white line.
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