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S ippi can Harbor , Har i on 



Sippican Harbor is surrounded by rural and suburban house 

 densities as well as some agricultural land. This town has long been a 

 resort community, but in recent years small craft traffic has increased 

 appreciably (G.Taft, pers. comra.). Many good shellfish areas exist 

 here, and oyster reefs were denoted at the mouth of Briggs Cove on 

 charts prior to the 1930. 



Photographs taken June 1930 of upper Sippican Harbor (Marion town 

 Hall vault) were the only photographs taken prior to the wasting disease 

 discovered for any part of Buzzards Bay. These photographs are oblique, 

 but eelgrass could be mapped (Fig. 10) . Remarkably, the present day 

 distribution of eelgrass in 1981 is almost identical to the 1930 

 distribution. The one exception is that eelgrass is slightly less 

 abundant today in the innermost parts of the harbor. These photographs 

 suggest that eelgrass peak abundance today (except in disturbed areas) 

 is indicative of distribution prior to the disease. 



Eelgrass showed the greatest rates of expansion during the 1950' s 

 and 1960's (Fig. 10). The large decline apparent on the 1971 aerial 

 survey is enigmatic, but may be the result of sewage discharges. 

 Declines in eelgrass abundance in some areas in the upper reaches of the 

 Sippican River, Briggs Cove, and Planting Island Cove may be related to 

 declining water quality. For example, throughout this area there has 

 been increased development, boat traffic, and shellfish bed closures in 

 recent years. The warden noticed that periphyton and drift algae has 

 become abundant in areas, such as Planting Island Cove (G. Taft, pers. 

 comm. ) . 



