NCES Eelgrass Project
NCES became members of the Seagrass Conservation Working Group (SCWG) in 2007, while attending a symposium in Bamfield to learn mapping techniques and GPS data inputting.
This SCWG consists of government agencies, stewardship groups, First Nations and consultants working to conserve seagrasses in B.C. Its working group members are distributed from Victoria to Haida Gwaii.
Between Deep Bay and Bowser, we have five large beds containing two species of eelgrass. Our beds are considered patchy, having open areas between plants. Because these open areas may be sites for planting additional eelgrass plants, we are beginning this year (2009) to research the causes for the open patches in order to determine if they will support new plants.
We began mapping of these beds in 2008, and have continued this season. The mapping consists of taking GPS locations around a designated section of each bed, laying out quadrates within each section along a 200 meter line and counting the number of plants. The GPS coordinates are put into a mapping program that can be viewed by all members. This mapping allows us to monitor the beds each year to determine if the beds are growing, diminishing or remaining static.
Divers are beginning to photograph and video the different fish and invertebrate species living in our beds, allowing us to develop a base inventory of the ecosystem.
With continued mapping of the eelgrass and inventorying of the species, we can establish the persistence and health of these local beds.
Supporting information
3 Year Plan SCWG Background
Eelgrass Conservation BC Coast
Eelgrass Factsheet
GPS Eelgrass Mapping Manual
Methods Mapping Monitoring Eelgrass BC
Strategy Eelgrass Restoration
Kelp: large seaweeds (algae) belonging to the brown algae (class Phaeophyceae) and are classified as the order Laminariales.
Eelgrass: (Zostera marina and Zostera japonica) is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass.
Groyne: a breakwater; a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away.
Salmonids: is a family of ray-finned fish that includes salmon, trout, chars, freshwater whitefishes and graylings
Bull kelp: Nereocystis (Greek for "mermaid's bladder") leutkeana
Giant kelp: Macrocystis pyrifera