![]() They may include the specific characteristics of water quality, hydrodynamics, or plant and animal communities to be restored. Project goals refer to the ecosystem attributes to be restored, such as water quality and clarity, hydrodynamics, epiphyte or macroalgae communities, or finfish and shellfish resources. Eelgrass restoration projects that lack clearly defined goals and objectives are less likely to achieve success, and it may be impossible to gauge success in the absence of a clearly defined project plan. Evaluation of site-specific factors (e.g., water quality and clarity, navigation constraints, fisheries, transplant and seeding costs) can be used to rank potential restoration sites.Īs with restoration of other coastal habitats, eelgrass restoration project goals and objectives must be clearly defined and consistent (Fonseca 1994, Pastorok et al. The site selection process should generate a list of sites that offer the chance for success in terms of acreage restored and the degree of habitat function restored.Ī considerable number of potential locations for eelgrass restoration exist along the Gulf of Maine’s coast. 1998).īecause of these issues, it is essential to carefully consider and prioritize potential sites for eelgrass restoration. The parameters of the transplant site must closely match that of the donor, or reference, site if restoration is to be successful (Kenworthy and Fonseca 1977, Phillips 1980a, Fonseca and Fisher 1986, Fonseca et al. ![]() Depth and water clarity exert the primary controls over eelgrass zonation and the degree of colonization by epiphytes. Salinity, depth, current and wave energy, water clarity, water temperature, sediment characteristics, and surface water quality are all important factors to evaluate in the selection of a restoration site. Unsuccessful eelgrass restoration projects are usually the result of improper site selection (Fonseca 1994).
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