Eelgrass is a flowering underwater plant with 1/4 inch wide leaves
that can reach lengths of 3 feet. Eelgrass grows in distinctive clumps,
known as beds, in nearshore waters at depths ranging from 4 to 9 feet. Eelgrass
beds are always completely submerged, and their roots, known as rhizomes,
anchor the grass to sandy or muddy bottoms. From spring through late summer,
eelgrass produces hundreds of seeds, which float with the current until
they sink to the bottom.
Eelgrass is a true flowering plant, not a seaweed or an algae.
Eelgrass is sometimes misidentified as saltmarsh cordgrass, a plant that
grows at the edge of the shore in the intertidal zone and is commonly submerged
at high tide.
Uprooted eelgrass can sometimes be found in bright green, tangled
clumps or individual strands along the shore. Dead eelgrass appears brown
or almost black and, when left out of the water for a period of time, it
becomes dry and papery.
Eelgrass is one of the Bay's most important and vital habitats for
a wide range of fish and wildlife, including flounder, scallops,and crabs.
At the base of the food chain, many species of commercially valuable fish
feed on, or take shelter in, these beds at some point in their lives. Eelgrass
beds filter excess nutrients out of the water and prevent shoreline flooding
and erosion by stabilizing sediment and buffering wave actions. Because
it requires specific amounts of light and clean water, the presence of eelgrass
is an indicator of healthy water quality.
