67 



of anthropogenic and natural disturbances which are detailed in the 

 results section along with their description. 



Results 



Wes tpor t Rivers 



The East and West Branch of the Westport Rivers form the largest 

 estuary in Buzzards Bay and historically have provided a substantial 

 coastal fishery (Fiske et al. 1968, Alber, 1987). The land around the 

 Westport Rivers is rural with considerable agricultural development. 

 This agricultural land is used for both crops and livestock and 

 residential sewage disposal consists of septic tanks. The northern end 

 of the East Branch of the Westport River has been closed to shellfishing 

 due to fecal contamination (Alber, 1987). 



Most fresh water enters through the East Branch of the Westport 

 River (Fig. 1) . Riverine inputs into this Branch declined during the 

 early 1960s because of construction of the Calamut dam and Intestate 

 Highway 195. The mouth of the estuary is moderately well flushed and 

 experiences a 0.9 m tidal range, but residence times for different 

 sections of the estuary have not been calculated. Photographs and 

 observations of residents indicate there has been considerable 

 meandering of the channels and migration of sand flats within the bay, 

 especially near the mouth. 



No early documentation on eelgrass abundance was discovered, but 

 some residents recall that eelgrass was far more abundant in the past 

 than its present-day maximum, and eelgrass was virtually eliminated by 



