136 



Appendix II 



A detailed description of eelgrass in Buzzards Bay 



Introduction 



In this section, I provide a detailed description of eelgrass 

 distribution in Buzzards Bay, and include numerous details on local 

 subtidal physical, biological, and hydrological features. My intent in 

 providing this information is to aid scientists and managers understand 

 the factors that may affect to eelgrass distribution, to demonstrate the 

 diverse nature of eelgrass communities in Buzzards Bay, and to aid 

 others in the analysis of aerial photographs of the region. 



I include eelgrass beds with as little as 10% cover, therefore 

 Appendix III (% cover of beds) should be referred to when studying these 

 maps. In this report, "eelgrass habitat area" refers to the area in 

 which eelgrass is an important component of the bottom, and "eelgrass 

 bed area" refers to area corrected for percent cover. 



Westport (Figs. 1+2) 



The distribution of eelgrass shown in the East and West Branches 

 of the Westport River was based on aerial surveys taken 15 June 1982 and 

 5 November 1979, information from the town shellfish warden, and field 

 observations in the West Branch on 9 August 1984. The distribution of 

 eelgrass in the East Branch was not field verified and was primarily 

 based on photographs and descriptions by the warden. 



Beginning in 1984, eelgrass extensively colonized mudflats in the 

 lower half of the Westport Rivers for the first time in recent memory of 



