Underwater in Salem Sound Lecture Series: Now and Then – Eelgrass Distribution and Mapping in Salem Sound

This past summer, Jill and others from the MA Division of Marine Fisheries conducted side scan mapping surveys of Salem Sound eelgrass meadows to assess and ground-truth the meadows at a higher resolution than aerial imaging. The project utilizes photo-interpretation methods to delineate eelgrass beds in historic aerial photos, implementing two patchiness categories to better describe meadow density. Side scan mapping surveys are completed throughout the embayment to further assess and ground-truth the meadows at a higher resolution. A data mining exercise follows, collecting relevant datasets on water quality, weather, physical disturbance and various biotic variables that may cause or contribute to the eelgrass trends observed in the mapping exercises. Preliminary results suggest that while some discrete eelgrass beds have seen complete loss over several decades, many eelgrass beds in Salem Sound are larger and more resilient than previously estimated. Jill Carr is a Fisheries Habitat Specialist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries lab in Gloucester, MA. Her work involves monitoring and restoring subtidal habitats including eelgrass beds and artificial reefs. Jill has worked extensively in Salem Sound restoring grass under the HubLine mitigation project and is currently helping to plan another multi-year planting project. This event is co-sponsored by the Abbot Public Library. Free and open to the public.