removal, vyhen no reasonable alternative to loss of seagrass habitat 

 exists, areas to be destroyed should also be considered as possible 

 harvest sites for onsite compensation of that loss. Research has 

 demonstrated that eelgrass (Zo4;fe^a moAma) transplants collected from high- 

 current areas are found at higher densities than at lovj-current areas and 

 sometimes exhibit higher growth rates than transplants from low-current areas 

 (Fonseca et al. 1979). These attributes can improve collection efficiency 

 and rates of seagrass bed development (Fonseca, Kenworthy, and Thayer 1981). 

 Our experience suggests that these characteristics may also be true for 

 shoalgrass and manatee grass collected from moderate- and high-current areas. 

 Moderate- to high-current areas are defined as those areas in which water 



surface current velocity ranges between 0.8 and 1.6 ft/sec* 



A. Sufficient numbers of apical meristems, or growing tips, are 



necessary for successful transplants. These are illustrated in Figure 1, 



and collectors should be familiar with their appearance. Upon identifying 



a potential harvest site, random subsamples of at least 10 planting units 



(a group of shoots with anchoring device, see page 8) should be made 



from transplant stock collected from several different locations in the 



harvest site. The number of apical meristems per planting unit should be 



recorded. It is recommended that there be a mean ratio of apical meristems 



to planting units of 1.0, although successful plantings have been established 



with a mean ratio as low as 0.4. Aerial runners, which always have apical 



meristems, are sometimes available as an alternative to rhizomes which must 



be dug up in transplanting these species (techniques are described in later 



sections). "Aerial runners" is a misnomer for what are actually rhizomes 



A table of factors for converting U. S. customary units of measurement 

 to metric (SI) units is presented on page 4. 



