Root for Eelgrass: Restoring Coastal Nurseries

About this episode

The episode discusses the restoration of eelgrass meadows in New Hampshire and the collaborative efforts to revive this vital coastal habitat.

Show notes: Beneath the thin blue line of the ocean’s surface lies an underwater meadow of grass. In Great Bay and coastal New Hampshire, these flowing fields of green are nurseries for young fish, an anchor for sediments, and a sign that our ecosystems are healthy. However, these life-supporting aquatic pastures face new threats. Here, in the constantly moving waters where rivers meet the sea, scientists, students, and communities are working together to bring back one of New Hampshire’s most vital—but also fragile—coastal habitats: eelgrass. These underwater meadows once stretched far and wide across the bay, but recently, storms, changing water temperatures, and pollution are having an impact on our local eelgrass species, Zostera marina . A new restoration project—backed by local towns, oyster farmers, and researchers at the University of New Hampshire—is testing innovative ways to help these plants return and thrive. From transplanting shoots to exploring seed-based restoration, the work happening here could shape the future of eelgrass recovery across the country. Act 1: What’s slender like an eel, and requires clear, cold water to thrive? Explore eelgrass 101 with Trevor…

People in this episode

Host: Matthew Allen

Guest: Trevor Mattera

Topics covered

• eelgrass restoration
• coastal ecosystems
• marine biology
• environmental science
• community involvement

Keywords

• eelgrass
• restoration
• coastal habitats
• marine ecosystems
• environmental threats

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, University of New Hampshire

Products: Zostera marina

Places: Great Bay, New Hampshire

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