77 



the outer bay as well. Because there were no major disturbances for 

 several years prior to this photograph, these trends suggest declining 

 water transparency in the inner bay was the likely cause for the absence 

 of eelgrass there, rather than disease or ice scour. 



A summer 1959 image of the northern fifth of the bay shows a large 

 diffuse patch of eelgrass north of Little Island. An April 1962 

 photograph shows eelgrass widespread throughout the bay (Fig. 4e) , but 

 the beds are sparse, possibly because the photo was taken early in the 

 growing season, or like the Westport River, these beds were greatly 

 affected by storms and ice scour during 1960 and 1961. Nonetheless, 

 eelgrass is more widespread, and shows a greater depth of growth than 

 present on the 1951 imagery. Beds on the eastern shore of the outer bay 

 appear denser as well. 



Eelgrass was even more abundant in September 1966, and beds 

 proliferated especially in the western lobe of the inner bay. The 

 positions of many beds, but positions were again different from the 1962 

 distribution. Beds on the eastern shore of the outer Bay were the more 

 extensive than any time since 1938. 



A October 1971 photograph lacks detail, but eelgrass appears 

 abundant south of Great Island. In 1975, dense vegetation is present in 

 several patches around the bay, but by October 1981, most eelgrass is 

 absent from the inner bay. Some vegetation appears along the banks at 

 the head of the Bay in the 1981 photograph, but it was assumed to be 

 largely composed of drift algae or Ruppia. 



