Eelgrass Protection

The Importance of Eelgrass

Eelgrass is a flowering plant that grows in shallow, nearshore environments where ample sunlight is available. Eelgrass is a sensitive and important keystone species in the Salish Sea that provides habitat for a wide variety of organisms including Pacific herring, juvenile salmon, and Dungeness crab. Aside from providing foraging habitat, nursery habitat, and shelter for many organisms, it also helps prevent shoreline erosion by stabilizing sediments with its roots.

Eelgrass Monitoring

In partnership with the Department of Natural Resources and Western Washington University, the Whatcom MRC is conducting eelgrass surveys in Wildcat Cove in Larrabee State Park. The goal of this project is to quantify and photo document eelgrass coverage and any potential damage that may occur as a result of boat launch usage within the cove. This information will be used to inform education and outreach efforts within Wildcat Cove.

To further understand the distribution of subtidal eelgrass cover in Wildcat Cove, Washington Department of Natural Resources mapped bathymetry and vegetation using a single beam echosounder and a Multibeam sonar. Submerged video was collected to truth the sonar data.

Wildcat Cove Mapping Report. (2023). Washington Department of Natural Resources.

David Wallin, Western Washington University, used an Unoccupied Aerial System (UAS) to assess percent cover of eelgrass and algae and changes in cover between dates.

Wallin, D., Wildcat Cove Drone Survey Final Report. (2023). Western Washington University, Department of Environmental Studies

The MRC worked with Peak Sustainability to understand what key messaging strategies could foster a voluntary reduction of boat launch users driving onto the Wildcat Cove tide flat.

Wildcat Cove Social Marketing Analysis Report. (2023). Peak Sustainability Group.

Eelgrass Protection