Eelgrass
Zostera
APPEARANCE
Eelgrass is actually a flowering plant, not an eel or grass. Eel grass has dark green leaves that are 2-12 mm wide and up to 100 cm long!
RANGE & HABITAT
Eelgrass grows in salt water, usually below the low tide line. You might also find eelgrass in estuaries. Eelgrass likes clear water so that it can photosynthesize well using energy from the sun’s rays!
RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS
Eelgrass is great for boosting soil health because it is so full of nutrients! It plays a very important role in taking carbon dioxide out of the seawater, which makes it very helpful at preventing the acidification of the water (which threatens the survival of shellfish and plankton at the bottom of the food chain).
Eelgrass beds are a habitat for many different plants and animals, including small invertebrates, fish and birds. Eelgrass also provides important shelter for young salmon when they arrive at salty water for the first time, and it protects young fish and bird species.
Eeelgrass is a flowering plant. Once the flower blooms, seeds are spread by ocean currents. Eventually, they sink to the ocean floor and germinate.
Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw eat the rhizomes of t ̓sat ̓sa’ya̱m (eelgrass). Women harvest and prepare t ̓sat ̓sa’ya̱m (eelgrass) for food. However, there has been significant degradation of eelgrass. Therefore, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw elders have prioritized stewardship projects that have been successful in restoring eelgrass meadows.
Eelgrass feels human impacts from dredging, logging and construction. If you see an eelgrass bed out on a walk, take care not to trample them.
Eelgrass beds are a habitat for many different plants and animals, including small invertebrates, fish and birds. Eelgrass also provides important shelter for young salmon when they arrive at salty water for the first time, and it protects young fish and bird species.
Eeelgrass is a flowering plant. Once the flower blooms, seeds are spread by ocean currents. Eventually, they sink to the ocean floor and germinate.
Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw eat the rhizomes of t ̓sat ̓sa’ya̱m (eelgrass). Women harvest and prepare t ̓sat ̓sa’ya̱m (eelgrass) for food. However, there has been significant degradation of eelgrass. Therefore, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw elders have prioritized stewardship projects that have been successful in restoring eelgrass meadows.
Eelgrass feels human impacts from dredging, logging and construction. If you see an eelgrass bed out on a walk, take care not to trample them.
MORE INFORMATION
If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.
Photo Credit
Canva
