The ecology of eelgrass meadows in the Pacific Northwest: A ...

marsh swecies and the small Zostera
japonica'; a favorite food plant of black
brant and other waterfowl. Cordcrrass was
also introduced into South ~adilla Bay,
where it also seems to be spreading from
rhizanes. The result of continued growth
of Spartina in the Pacific Northwest would
result in lowering waterfowl carrying
capacity. In its native habitat in the
northeastern Gulf of Mexico and northward
from Florida to Massachusetts, the species
does not compete with seayrasses for its
niche. In its native habitat all
seagrasses are subtidal.
Monitoring of vegetation such as cordgrass
expansion, changes in standing stocks of
eelgrass, impacts and disturbances of
eelgrass, and continued escalation of
human activity over the dense stands of
eelgrass is needed to establish improved
means of assessing changes and legislating
materials were causing water quality
problems (the radionuclides entered
Willapa Bay from the Wford Atomic Works
where they traveled along the Columbia
River to the pacific Ocean and into
Wills by, 390 miles away; ~32, ~ n ~
ad C F were predominant and were fowd
in the oysters and razor clams); (6)
sedimentation arose upstream from topsoil
off farmland, from logging, and from road
and highway construction.
It is imperative that studies be continued
in sanctuaries totally devoid of impacts
M yield baseline data that can be used as
control information on the inherent
genetic, morphological, and physiological
capabilities of the plants and their
system.
Undesirable Effects of Eelgrass
palicy act necessary in sensitive areas. There are, at present, no known
The use of the best agricultural, lcqging, undesirable effects of eelgrass In the
and roadbuilding practices are imperative I*~cI. t LC C~Orthwst r~qlu,~.
if future impacts ate to be minimized.
Cmflictitlg uses of the eelgrass habitat,
such as oyster culture, boating over Cuniu;.rclal am ~ereittlonal Fisheries
meadows, and real-estate development,
which requires dredging and later sewage iiel f ferrctl 33x3 t.\cIIUy (1~73) cd1culat.w tt IC
deposition, necd suitable management. dollar values of varlouv comtx>nents of dn
eelyrasb system. For ~ross CIICKJY vcllues,
In Willapa Bay, one of the three largest usmg the tectrnlque ot Gossellnk et dl.
stands of eelgraes in the Pacific ( 1 lr) ~ arid the prwuctlvlty vd i cres of
Northwest, six activities have impacted eelyrdss of McRoy ar~d llclYllldn (13117),
eelgrass (Fieh a@ Wildlife Service 1970): they calculdterl that V.r ha (1 dc~e) of
(1) destruction of tidelands and
marshlands by filling and diking have
reclaimed 2,520 ha (6,300 acres) for
industry and highways, and another 120 ha
(31d0 acres) for agriculture, while the
Pacific Soil and Water Conservation
District encouraged the reclaiming of
another 2,6416 ha (6,600 acres) for
pasture, hay, and silage production; (2)
draining of fresh-water marshes and
construction of lagoon housing (there were
eelgrdss was worttt +4,2~57/ yr (Gossel ln'c et
dl. used the real estate uvalr~dtlon
technrque of income cdpi ta 1 lzat ion: L =
P, W~~CCJ
V 1s tlte value of d parcel of
land, 1t AS the annual return from lt, at~d
r 1s the starrddrd rdte of liltex-est,
rtssurnlng 5 6 ). 'i'hc nutrltlorr generatmi by
ari eelyrass Tncauuw In Puget bound for
oyster culture us19 data f ron~ Iinar et al.
(1951) wds worth jlj, IbU per u.4 trd (1
acre)/yr. Eor fisheries, the cdtejory was
fears for oyster culture and fisheries due dlviJb4 lrito ~usnmerc~dl, sprt, 41w sport
to deteriorating water quality): (3) charters. kJor cwrnmrrcral flsirerle; W.4 h;l
dredgingact'vities: in1%9alone1 about (1 acre) of eelyrass hds a value of
630.OV10 yd' of dredged spoil were $35/yr. tbr sport flshrrles t~ie value wds
depsitd on diked and r&lairn& tidelands sZ&/ yr, wt~lle tor sport charters the
and marshlands; (4) construction of value ~ d ~ s byr.
l k'or wdter fowl,
bulkhead, pier, and shoreline facilities; c€nlsldcriiy tne value ut' tne rne~lt as f d
(5) contamination of the aquatic life or ad tile morley spent huntity, ttle vrilw of
tho environment: domestic waters, 0.4 tla (1 acre) was Sl~/yr. l'nls ylvus a
agricultural runoff, debris from log
storage areas, wood chips, and radioactive
value of $12,J25/U.4 tla (acre)/yr for an
celgrsss nieiluow (cf. tielfferlch and McWy