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Tracking Eelgrass: The Seagrass Snapshot

Photos uploaded to our Water Reporter App documenting the presence or absence of eelgrass in Casco Bay. Photos by Water Reporters Harry Nelson, Rick Frantz, Catherine Tarpy, and John Contas.

A Community Effort to Document Eelgrass

Priscilla Doucette jumped at the opportunity to scout for eelgrass during one of September’s extra low tides. “Life begins in eelgrass,” she says, recalling the once-thriving eelgrass beds she played in during her childhood summers on Little Diamond Island in the 1940s and 50s. When Community Organizer Sara Freshley asked volunteer Water Reporters to help document eelgrass across Casco Bay, Priscilla eagerly joined in, determined to support our efforts to understand the dramatic decline of this vital habitat. 

Priscilla was one of 39 Water Reporters who ventured out in search of eelgrass during a three-day stretch of perigean tides — extremely low tides — in mid-September. These extra low tides exposed eelgrass beds that are usually underwater. Friends of Casco Bay seized the opportunity to organize the first-ever Seagrass Snapshot, mobilizing volunteers to record eelgrass presence or absence across the Bay.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) mapped a significant decline in eelgrass beds in Casco Bay between 2018 and 2022 — a 54% loss in just four years. This alarming loss spurred action from government agencies, scientists, advocates, and community members around the Bay. 

Interactive Seagrass Snapshot Map – Click to Explore 

In mid-September, volunteer Water Reporters documented the presence or absence of eelgrass at key sites around Casco Bay during a period of extra low tides. 

Click on the map to explore photos and data gathered during the Seagrass Snapshot, as well as DEP’s eelgrass mapping.

Investigating the Decline

Friends of Casco Bay is in the first year of a collaborative two-year study led by Casco Bay Estuary Partnership to understand what may be causing the decline of eelgrass beds and explore how to restore them. The team is investigating water clarity, temperatures, impacts of green crabs, and other factors.

Eelgrass can be tricky to monitor. Eelgrass meadows are difficult to see because they grow at low intertidal and subtidal portions of our coastal waters. Monitoring them often requires boats, drones, and even scuba divers. The Seagrass Snapshot added valuable observations from the community to supplement scientific data collected by DEP and our study.

Water Reporters, guided by maps and scientists’ insights, documented eelgrass at key sites between September 18 and 20. Some of the locations had eelgrass in 2018 but none in 2022, while others were known to still have thriving beds. Sara Freshley coordinated the volunteers to make sure our priority sites were covered. “You all are rockstars!” Sara cheers. “Your observations give us a better idea of what’s happening across the Bay.”

A Vital Step in Understanding Changes

A beach with green patches of eelgrass.
Water Reporter Priscilla Doucette found eelgrass at Side Beach on Little Diamond. While it may look robust to some, it is nothing like the eelgrass beds of her childhood memories on the island. “I remember wading in it, up to my hips,” she said. “Now, the eelgrass bed is barely there. It’s not as thick or near the shore. You can only see it at the lowest tides.”
a woman crouches by the railing of a boat
Janelle Goeke searched for eelgrass near Scragg Island from aboard Water Reporter Ken Segal’s boat. “We surveyed for 45 minutes and found few signs of eelgrass,” Janelle said. “Every time we thought we saw something, we shouted to the boat driver, ‘Circle back!’” Photo Credit: Natalie Bingham.

“Our dedicated Water Reporters made the Seagrass Snapshot a success,” says Sara. Volunteers submitted 121 photos from across Casco Bay. The Snapshot revealed eelgrass at fewer than half of the sites covered. The lack of eelgrass evidence may be due to beds shifting and remaining submerged even during extra low tides. As we continue to track eelgrass in the Bay, we will use volunteers’ observations from this effort to compare in future years.

Janelle Goeke, Staff Scientist with Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, expressed her gratitude for our volunteers’ contributions. “Eelgrass is disappearing faster than we thought,” Janelle remarked. “The Seagrass Snapshot gives us a much more up-to-date view.” Janelle and two of her coworkers joined one Water Reporter on a “treasure hunt” for eelgrass. Though they found only small, isolated beds, the effort was a vital step in understanding the rapid changes happening in Casco Bay.

The Seagrass Snapshot provided crucial data on the state of Casco Bay’s eelgrass, thanks to our dedicated Water Reporters. Their observations will guide future efforts to protect and restore this essential habitat. Community involvement remains key to addressing the environmental challenges facing Casco Bay.

Thank you to our Water Reporter supporters for making these events possible, including our members and donors, Allagash Brewing Company, L.L.Bean, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, WEX, Inc., and Sprague Energy.