READ THE EELGRASS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR NANTUCKET

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The Town of Nantucket is partnering with the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston and a team of advisors to develop an Eelgrass Management Plan for Nantucket Harbor, Madaket Harbor, and Tuckernuck.

Eelgrass is a critical component of our coastal ecosystem, supporting marine biodiversity, improving water quality, and helping to stabilize the shoreline. This planning effort aims to support the long-term health and sustainability of eelgrass habitats in our local waters.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is a subtidal seagrass found on both the east and west coasts of North America. Over the last 40 years, eelgrass has declined worldwide as a result of increased turbidity, algal blooms, physical disturbances, disease, and a host of other stressors. Specifically, in Massachusetts, the eelgrass population has declined approximately 50% in the last 30 years. Historic levels were also much more plentiful until a “wasting disease” caused a 90% die-off of meadows in the 1930s. The decline has also been observed locally, with a loss of 30% of eelgrass in Nantucket waters between 1995 and 2015 and an estimated 2,000 acres remaining.

Understanding the importance of eelgrass to the local ecosystem, history, and social fabric of Nantucket Island, the Town initiated the development of an Eelgrass Management Plan to gather historic and baseline conditions, document stressors to eelgrass, and identify actions to protect, stabilize, and enhance/restore eelgrass. This plan builds on recommendations from the Shellfish Management Plan, the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plans, and other eelgrass management plans and projects.

This plan was funded by the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation (GHYCF) through the 2024 GHYCF grant cycle, and will be completed in July, 2025.

Project Goals

The Eelgrass Management Plan will:

• Identify stressors affecting eelgrass health
• Propose strategies and potential sites for eelgrass protection and restoration
• Outline research needs related to local eelgrass populations
• Recommend ways to improve public communication and awareness about eelgrass