Restoring Underwater Bay Grasses

Bay Program partners are currently working towards a goal to restore underwater bay grasses—also known as submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV—to 185,000 acres in the Bay and its tidal tributaries by 2010. Today, better science allows researchers to target restoration efforts in areas where SAV once grew. However, continuing poor water quality, along with irregular weather conditions, have hindered progress toward the 185,000-acre bay grass abundance goal.

Bay Grass Abundance Goal

As an addendum to the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, in 2003 the Bay Program adopted a goal to restore SAV to 185,000 acres in the Bay and its tidal tributaries by 2010. This goal was based on underwater bay grass acreage and density observed in aerial surveys from the 1930s to the present. It takes into account the real potential for SAV growth in areas where grass beds once grew.

In 2007, data gathered by scientists with the Bay Program showed that underwater bay grasses covered an estimated 65,000 acres of the Bay and its tidal tributaries. This is only about 35 percent of the 185,000-acre goal. While grasses in the Susquehanna Flats appear to be dense and healthy, unusual weather conditions have stressed SAV in the lower Bay, and poor water clarity has caused grass losses throughout the Bay.

Goal for Bay Grasses Planted

In 2003, Bay Program partners set a goal to plant 1,000 acres of bay grasses by 2008. Planting underwater grasses supplements the natural expansion of grass beds that comes with improving water quality. If successful, these new bay grasses will provide seed sources to produce more grass beds in the future.

As of 2007, partners had achieved about 14 percent of the 1,000-acre goal. While large-scale SAV restoration is making some progress, both funding and capacity need to be increased dramatically to meet the 1,000-acre goal.

Types of Bay Grass Restoration

Many different organizations—ranging from federal and state agencies to local, volunteer-based groups—are leading projects to restore and protect bay grasses and educate citizens on the importance of SAV.

• Bay Program state partners are conducting large-scale SAV restoration by collecting and planting eelgrass seeds, as well as monitoring and protecting grass beds in critical areas.
• Many local residents assist small watershed organizations with harvesting, growing and planting bay grasses on a smaller scale.
• School-aged children are planting, growing and studying bay grasses through Bay Grasses in Classes, a program run by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
• The Chesapeake Club media campaign uses humor to educate homeowners about the impact of lawn fertilizers on water quality, bay grasses and blue crabs.

In addition to these projects, tributary strategies—clean-up plans for each tributary in the watershed—contribute to SAV restoration efforts by reducing nutrient and sediment pollution to the Bay.