Underwater meadows of eelgrass in Long Island Sound have been in decline for decades. Now, conservationists are turning to clams — and glue — to restore this critical ecosystem.
Volunteers in Clinton, Connecticut are helping the nonprofit Save the Sound restore eelgrass through the S-E-A-S method: Seeds of Eelgrass Attached to Shellfish.
Susan Barney is one of about 10 people here to help out today.
“I’m a gardener, so I mainly do inland things, but I was really drawn to the invitation to come and restore eelgrass," she said. "Because who knew that eelgrass cleans water, prevents erosion, and provides habitat? I just thought it was lovely that they invited regular old folks to help restore eelgrass, so I’m here!”
The meadows have lost about 90% of the eelgrass they had a century ago, thanks to an overbuilt coastline and a decline in water quality.
“What we're trying to do is, yes, restore eelgrass, but we’re also going after the whole system," said marine biologist Dave Hudson. “This is why it’s two organisms -- the clam filters the water, and then the eelgrass grows up and provides structure for all the other animals and things that live there. They work together."
Dave Hudson is part of a group of divers who collect the seeds.
“First, you’ve got this flower that flowers in June and July, and then late July and August, you can start to collect the seeds," Hudson said. "And you can see they’re only the size of a grain of rice. We can only collect in a three-week window, so we’re already planning for next year!”
Where today’s volunteers come in is kind of like arts and crafts — put a little drop of biodegradable glue down, grab a clam, and wipe with a cloth, dip that clam in the glue, then dip it in the seeds.
The clams are alive, so once they are taken out on a boat and dropped in the water, they will naturally burrow into the sediment, planting the seeds themselves.
Long Island Soundkeeper Bill Lucey said it will take time to really see the full impact, but a recent planting in Long Island’s Peconic Bay is proving to be a success.
"That’s actually spread to 150 by 150 feet. It was a little clump like the size of this table, that was 2018. There was no other eelgrass around," he said. "You have to have them last for three years once they’ve established a meadow. ”
The goal this time around is to drop 40,000 clams near Duck Island off the coast of Westbrook, Connecticut. This will be Save the Sound’s largest-scale eelgrass project ever, big enough to be tracked from the air.
Hudson said it is just one part of a broader push towards a more sustainable future.
“We want to make sure that we’re not only restoring the Sound to what it can do, but also what it will be able to do.”
There are lots of ways to get involved with Save the Sound volunteer events throughout the fall. Visit SavetheSound.org to sign up!
