15 



Not all areas were mapped because of inadequate aerial coverage. 

 Areas where eelgrass is present, but its exact boundaries are unclear, 

 are labeled "+". Areas where eelgrass is present, but has a patchy 

 distribution covering less than 6% of the bottom over large areas, are 

 labeled "SP". Areas where vegetation is present, but its identity is 

 unclear, are labeled "?". These and other symbols used on the maps are 

 summarized in Table 1. All maps are oriented with true north at the 

 top. 



Results 



General features 



The central portion of Buzzards Bay is too deep for eelgrass 

 growth, however eelgrass meadows typically dominate shallow areas (refer 

 to Appendix II for a detailed description of eelgrass in the Bay) . On 

 high energy coasts and well flushed areas, eelgrass typically grows on 

 sand or sandy-mud to 3-6 m MLW; in protected embayments, eelgrass most 

 often grows on mud bottoms to 1-2 m. In fact, eelgrass beds are a 

 dominant feature in nearly all shallow areas in the region — often 

 forming a continuous belt of vegetation for thousands of meters — except 

 around New Bedford, and the heads of certain bays and estuaries (e.g. 

 Apponagansett Bay, East Branch of the Westport River, the upper Wareham 

 River, and coastal ponds in Falmouth). 



Several features are apparent on aerial photographs that deserve 

 discussion because they affect estimates of eelgrass cover. On the 

 outer coast, eelgrass beds appear as dark patches on a light background 

 (sand). In some exposed areas, algae covered rock and cobble dominate 



