150 



observable on photographs. These beds show considerable movement 

 between photographs. 



The lower limit of eelgrass is was difficult to delineate on the 

 photographs along the west side of Stony Point, Mashnee Island, and the 

 West Side of Toby Island and are partly approximated based on 

 bathymetry. Eelgrass grows along the margins of the Cape Cod Canal, but 

 these were not included in production estimates. 



This part of Buzzards Bay has become increasingly developed and 

 urbanized, and water quality has declines have been reported in some 

 areas such as shellfish bed closures in the Wareham River and Buttermil': 

 Bays due to elevated coliforms. In Buttermilk Bay near inputs of 

 nutrient sources, eelgrass grows to lesser depths or may be absent, and 

 periphyton abundance is high (Costa, 1988, Costa and Valiela, in prep.). 



Bourne: Wings Neck to Megansett (Figs. 19 + 20) 



I'laps of eelgrass abundance in Bourne, south of Vings Neck were 

 based primarily on 1975, and 1981 aerial photographs and reports. No 

 satisfactory photograph coverage was obtained west of Scraggy Neck. 



Zostara is abundant in this network of shallow protected harbors. 

 In low energy areas such as Red Brook Harbor and Wings cove, eelgrass is 

 dense and continuous. On exposed parts of Scraggy Neck and Wings Neck, 

 eelgrass beds nearshcre are dominated by algae covered rock and boulder. 

 The western tip of Scraggy Neck could not be interpreted clearly, but 

 eelgrass appears abundant beginning at the edge of the boulder fields 

 nearshcre, and extend to the ledges a kilometer offshore. The eelgrass 

 in this area appears to grow to at least 4.5 m. Even if rock and algae 



