Seagrass beds are regarded worldwide as one of the most productive marine habitats. They act as nursery beds to many common sport and game species but are easily harmed by sedimentation, coastal runoff and pollution.

Two types of seagrass are found along our coast - surfgrass and eelgrass. Both are true rooted, flowering marine plants that require sunlight for photosynthesis, though they live in the marine environment. Although these two plants look similar superficially, they are adapted for different types of habitat. Surfgrass grows on rocks and is found in high-energy near-shore environments, such as tidepools and the surf zone. Wider-bladed eelgrass grows in sandy sheltered areas, where there is adequate protection from waves and storms. In much of its range, eelgrass grows in shallow bays and mudflats, but within the Santa Barbara Channel, eelgrass beds are entirely subtidal.

Although eelgrass growing in areas such as San Diego and San Francisco Bays has been highly disturbed by decades of human activity, eelgrass has also suffered major declines due to natural causes in pristine waters. Once extensive eelgrass meadows at the Channel Islands were eliminated by white urchins after the 1983 El Niño and have not recovered.

Our eelgrass restoration program includes the collection, culture, and outplant of seeds and seedlings, in addition to the transport of established plants from 'donor' locations. Our restoration efforts are strongly linked to education and outreach through the participation of volunteer divers and student groups involved in seed culturing.

Anacapa Island

In 2001, we began a pilot project to restore an historic eelgrass bed at Frenchy's Cove, Anacapa Island. One goal of the project was to recruit and train volunteer community divers to participate with the restoration and ongoing monitoring. The project was a cooperative effort between Channelkeeper, the Channel Islands Research Program (CIRP), and NOAA Fisheries' Community-Based Restoration Program. Although there were some unexpected challenges along the way, this project is proving to be highly successful as the new eelgrass bed continues to spread through vegetative growth and seed production.

Santa Cruz Island

Channelkeeper is partnering with the PISCO group at UC Santa Barbara to bring our eelgrass restoration efforts to Santa Cruz Island. The work is being funded by a grant from The Nature Conservancy and NOAA's Community-Based Restoration Program.