Shellfish Group Aims to Give Eelgrass New Life

A new chapter in Island environmental restoration is blooming in a laboratory on the shores of the Lagoon. There, in a cool tub of water at a Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group Hatchery, a small artificial meadow of eelgrass is beginning to flower.

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Anchoring Moratorium Begins in Lake Tashmoo

The Tisbury select board voted unanimously Wednesday to impose an immediate moratorium on anchoring in Lake Tashmoo until the town has developed a policy to reduce the number of visiting boats.

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Foundation, MVC Team Up for Eelgrass Mapping Project

The Edgartown Great Pond Foundation has worked with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to produce a first-of-its-kind map of eelgrass in Slough Cove.

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Tisbury Designates No-Anchor Zone in Lake Tashmoo
Heather Hamacek

Tisbury selectman have designated Drew’s Cove in Lake Tashmoo a no-anchoring zone for an indefinite period of time to protect fragile eelgrass beds near the head of the saltwater estuary.

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Quitsa Pond Is Laboratory for Eelgrass Restoration; Results Mixed
Alex Elvin

Nashaquitsa Pond has become a laboratory for eelgrass restoration, although poor water quality and other factors appear to be keeping the aquatic species from re-establishing.

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Eelgrass Pilot Set to Begin at Quitsa Pond
Alex Elvin

With support from the Edey Foundation, the Chilmark shellfish department plans to restore vital eelgrass beds that vanished from Nashaquitsa Pond.

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Where Has All the Quitsa Eelgrass Gone? Crabs and Geese May Be to Blame
Alex Elvin

An unexpected absence of eelgrass in Nashaquitsa Pond this summer may be the result of crab predation and goose foraging over the harsh winter. The Chilmark shellfish constable said he's never seen such a sudden decline in the aquatic plant that plays a vital role in the life cycle of shellfish.

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Report on Tashmoo Pond Tracks Decline in Water Quality
Alex Elvin

More than 10 years after the state began studying Tashmoo Pond as part of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, a final report on the pond’s declining health is expected to be released this week.

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Another Year, Another effort on Eelgrass: Sunken Treasures in Sengekontacket Pond
Mandy Locke

It's like gardening, William Wilcox and Paul Bagnall explain,
but with a twist. All the planting is done underwater.

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Eelgrass Makes A Comeback In Katama Bay
Mark Alan Lovewell

The decline of eelgrass on the Vineyard and along the eastern seaboard has been known and documented for many years. Eelgrass is key to the health of a coastal pond ecosystem, and its disappearance has had a significant impact on sea life, fish and shellfish.

But in at least one area of Katama Bay, eelgrass appears to be coming back — thanks to the breach at Norton Point Beach, biologists believe. And the news could have ramifications for other ponds around the Island.

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