to eelgrass. In clear waters around Buzzards Bay, eelgrass may grow to 

 6 m MLW or more, but in polluted and disturbed areas, eelgrass grows to 

 1 m MLW or less, or not at all. Because large portions of eelgrass 

 populations in Buzzards Bay are near the lower limit of eelgrass growth, 

 small changes in water transparency in the future will result in further 

 declines in eelgrass abundance. 



In light of these observations and the increasing pressures on the 

 coastal zone, it is recommended that management initiatives to protect 

 eelgrass beds focus on anthropogenic perturbations that result in long 

 term loss of eelgrass habitat. The two areas that deserve the most 

 attention are 1) the restriction of dredging and construction that 

 permanently destroys eelgrass habitat, and 2) the protection of water 

 quality. 



Protecting water quality will be difficult because it involves 

 predicting the impact of land based sewage disposal, fertilizer 

 application, and development within watersheds. This is a desirable 

 objective, however, because managing water quality also protects other 

 commercial, aesthetic, and recreational resources within bays. Recent 

 studies suggest that nutrient inputs from residences are impacting many 

 coastal ecosystems, and more stringent regulations are needed for septic 

 setbacks and fertilizer applications nearshore. 



In the future, eelgrass populations should be regularly monitored 

 with aerial photograph surveys taken to maximize analysis of eelgrass 

 beds and other submerged features. Sediment cores provide valuable 

 information on long term local changes in eelgrass abundance because the 

 remains of eelgrass seeds {as well as other plant and animal remains) 



Xll 



