Low tide opens a window for the beach walker onto the vibrant world of eelgrass meadows. Submerged by salt water during most tidal cycles, these meadows are places where a complex community of mysterious creatures hide, hunt, graze, migrate, and lay eggs. Look closely among the green fronds exposed at low tide, and you may find crabs, snails, urchins, and nudibranchs. If you’re able to view eelgrass through shallow water, you might see young salmon swimming about, using the meadow as a safe place to rest and move along the shore. In some areas of the Salish Sea, you might see a flock of brant descending to feed on an eelgrass meadow. With so many species at work, and the long blades of eelgrass swaying below the water, these habitats are alive with movement. Some species, such as the bay pipefish, even mimic the look and movement of eelgrass leaves as camouflage in the meadows.

Living at depths of about three to 30 feet, our native eelgrass (Zostera marina) can usually be visited from land only during lower tides. A non-native species, Z. japonica or dwarf eelgrass, lives slightly higher on the shore. Eelgrass is an angiosperm (flowering plant) unlike algae, seaweed, or kelp. It reproduces via rhizome spreading or pollination of flowers and the production of seeds.

Human attitudes and actions toward eelgrass have also been moving over the past few decades. Recognizing both the importance of and threats to native eelgrass has been key. We know that eelgrass meadows provide many functions in addition to wildlife habitat. They are an indicator of estuary health, being sensitive to changes in water quality. Eelgrass roots bind sediment, protecting shorelines from erosion, while the leaves slow currents and protect the inhabitants hiding within. Eelgrass also filters water, traps sediment, and absorbs carbon dioxide. Like other plants, it transforms nutrients into vegetation that can be consumed by other species in the Salish Sea food web.

A video about eelgrass and restoration efforts. video by Bob Turner

Agencies and communities in both Washington and British Columbia have undertaken monitoring and mapping of eelgrass beds in the Salish Sea. And in the Salish Sea and elsewhere around the world, there is a push toward eelgrass replanting in an effort to restore habitat and reduce the effects of climate change. Next time you’re on the beach during low tide, keep an eye out for eelgrass and the creatures that live and move through it.

Resources – eelgrass monitoring and restoration

• Delve into Washington state’s recent eelgrass monitoring work (story map)
• Learn about eelgrass bed mapping in British Columbia
• Learn about seagrass restoration in Puget Sound — why it’s important, what methods have been tried, and how success is monitored (story map)
• Eelgrass restoration efforts are happening in British Columbia as well (narrated video)
• Washington state has a plan to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040

Other resources

• Description and natural history of Zostera marina
• Discussion and photos of the “submerged city” of eelgrass from the East Coast

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Thanks so much for your interest and your support.