What is Eelgrass?

Eelgrass is a common name for a group or genus of plants called Zostera that grow underwater in estuaries and shallow coastal areas. Zostera marina is the scientific name for eelgrass. Eelgrass is not a seaweed or an algae. It is a flowering plant that can live for many years, a perennial. Annual forms, plants that live for one year, also exist. This plant is primarily found in the subtidal zone with its entire life cycle (e.g., flowering, pollination and seed germination) occurring underwater.

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation, or SAV, is a term used to classify all seagrass species. Eelgrass, Zostera marina, is one of 60 known species of seagrass, and is the most abundant seagrass in the northeast United States.

Eelgrass is a primary source of food for many plants and animals as well as a critical nursery and shelter for shellfish (including crabs and lobster) and finfish. Eelgrass filters pollutants from the water column, is a key component of the nutrient cycle, and guards against shoreline erosion by dampening wave energy and storms. Eelgrass is one of the most diverse and productive underwater habitats found in the coastal waters of North America and Europe. The long, slender blades capture rays of sunlight to produce oxygen and bend with the ebb and flow of the tides. Eelgrass forms large meadows or small isolated beds, which range in size from many acres to just a yard across.

Balance Between Humans and Nature: Eelgrass