Volunteers prep eelgrass for planting Picture by: Thomas Freeman
Picture taken on: June 11th, 2004 Eelgrass beds provide nursery,
foraging, and spawning habitat for many types of finfish and
shellfish, including several commercially and recreationally
valuable species. They also filter sediment from water and
protect shorelines from the impacts of storm waves. In the last
century, eelgrass beds in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay have
been damaged by disease, storms, and coastal development. NOAA
supported Save the Bay and other restoration partners to
implement large-scale, volunteer-based programs to restore the
Bay’s eelgrass beds. Volunteers collected live plants from donor
beds, placed them in frames, and placed them on the Bay’s
bottom. Related Story: Volunteers prep eelgrass for planting