Uarragans&tU Bs^r,' 'although it does not properly "belong in the sec- 

 tion hei^e diisciisseci',- is included for convenience. Ihe "bay seems to he 

 almost devoid of eelgrass, except for scattered plants reported in Newport 

 Harhor and f or o'rie small patch seen in the Sakonnet River early this winter. 



■'•■" ' --' Lo ng Island Sou nd 



The Long Island' Sound 'section, including Fishers Island Sound, ex- 

 tends from Watch Hill,' H. I., westward along the Connecticut shore of the 

 sovmd to New Haven. Much of the shore is cut by small rocky and gravelly 

 coves, especially eastward, while a large part of the region westward com- 

 prises muddy and marshy "bays and sandy "beaches. Conditions of growth 

 produce a type of eelgrass on this part of the coast that is quite differ- 

 ent from that of near "by Bhode Island areas. Generally the Connecticut 

 eelgrass is larger and has much longer leaves, pro"bably owing to the deeper 

 water, fairly strong tide, and fertile "bottom. 



Little Narragansett Bay has a fairly good growth of eelgrass, the 

 "beds occurring in the deeper water just off the sand flats of Napatree 

 Beach. Many stra^ling plants are invading the higher flats. The leaves 

 are fairly long, "being more than 20 inches. Fruiting was quite heavy 

 early in the summer of 1936. The most recent check made on the area — in 

 December 1936— showed all the earlier beds still intact and individual 

 plants relatively healthy. Quiambog and Mystic Coves, near Stonington, 

 Conn., are typical small bays of the section. Large drifting leaves were 

 observed in both areas in June, but the plants themselves were not found 

 uni;il December. The beds in Quiambog are small, but the plants are robust 

 with heavy root stocks that showed 8 to 10 inches of ne^- growth. The winter 

 foliage looked quite healthy. At the time this bed was observed, eelgrass 

 was also found in Marshalls Cove nearby, on the shore of Long Island Sound. 



In December several small patches of Zostera were noted growing in 

 an area of about 10 acres in Niantic Bay. Plants there showed evidence of 

 disease destruction during the summer. The present winter growth, however, 

 was fairly free from disease streaking, and the rootstocks appeared healthy. 

 Reports of eelgrass for localities west of Hiantic Bay are infrequent. A 

 small growth was reported from East Haven River early in the spring, and a 

 few scattered plants were later observed in a tidal creek near Branford. 



Long Island South Bays 



The north shore of Long Island was not included in this survey; 

 however, it has few suitable places for extensive eelgrass growths as 

 compared with the south shore. In Great South Bay, which formerly had 

 vast beds of eelgrass, there is now a fair new growth appearing on some 

 ■of the flats. On Bellport flats beds of nearly a hundred acres were seen 

 from the air early in January. The drift from these beds makes heavy 

 windrows on the south beaches near Long Cove. Sporadic small beds and 

 clumps were observed to the east of the heavier beds, nearly to 

 Pattersquash Island. The plants of this "entire eastern end of South Bay 

 average 20 inches in length. Disease. spotting was noted during the latter 

 part of the season, and entire clumps of disease-killed plants could be 

 seen in some localities. The fact that the beds are holding up so late 

 in the season, however, is considered an encouraging siga that they will 

 continue growth next spring. 



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