VI-195 



3. To assess feasibility of establishing seed stock populations, 

 transplantation experiments would be conducted with important 

 species and with species possessing excellent potential for 

 enhancing bay environments. Particular attention would be 

 given to seaweeds such as eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) that fre- 

 quently dominate significant stretches of bay floor and provide 

 important food bases for animal communities. Animal species 

 that are apt to suffer seriously from construction and dredging 

 during bay modification should also be studied. The transplan- 

 tations would be particularly valuable if they can follow actual 

 dredging and construction operations. 



4. Laboratory cultures of potentially useful seaweeds would be 

 developed. Feasibility of transplanting large numbers of juve- 

 niles or reproductive bodies (seeds, spores, etc.) from labora- 

 tory cultures to bay environments would be tested. The purpose 

 of this study is to develop techniques for establishing dense 

 stands of attached vegetation over large areas of bay bottom in 



a relatively short time. If this can be done, the food bases for 

 animal communities in freshly created habitats could be brought 

 into existence rather quickly and should greatly shorten the 

 period for recovery from operations of bay modification. Inten- 

 sive work would be done on two or three species known to be 

 ecologically desirable such as palm kelp ( Eisenia arborea ) and 

 eel grass (Zostera marina). 



