Seagrass Safe Boating

  • You can see eelgrass when you are boating in shallow water

    Eelgrass grows in clear shallow waters, so it is easy to determine if you are in a seagrass area.

  • Anchoring in eelgrass rips out the roots and rhizomes of the plants

    Without roots and rhizomes (used to reproduce) the plant cannot survive or propagate.

  • Anchor and mooring chains scour eelgrass beds.

    Chains repetitively drag from changing tides and shifting currents; that damages the eelgrass in the entire chain radius.

  • Propellors cause damage in shallow areas, cutting deep scars through the meadows.

    This damage leaves devastation in its wake as the propellors rip up eelgrass, fragment the beds, and turn up sediments into the water column.

  • Know your route before you go out on your boat.

    Most recreational boaters cause damage to eelgrass just because they are uninformed. Some cut across shallow water, seagrass habitat and become stranded at low tide. Then they further damage eelgrass by using their propellors to force their way out.

Anchor in the sand

Anchors cause damage in three stages: fall, dragging/lock-in, and retrieval. Most damage occurs during anchor fall and recovery [1, 2] when eelgrass is uprooted. This damage directly affects meadow cover and shoot density [1]. A single anchor can create four square meter bare patches in eelgrass beds [3].

Some anchors cause less damage in meadows than others. Hall anchors cause the most minor damage compared to Danforth and Folding Grapnels [2]. However, the best way to avoid damaging eelgrass beds is to check over the side of your boat for eelgrass before you anchor. If you see eelgrass, carefully navigate your boat to an area without eelgrass before you drop your anchor.

Seagrass Safe Boating

  • Avoid

    When you find yourself in the coastal waters of Fishers Island, check if you are in a seagrass area. This could be indicated in maps or on buoys. You can also look for the eelgrass over the side of the boat. Try staying in deeper channels to prevent eelgrass damage.

  • Trim Up

    If you find yourself over an eelgrass bed, trim up you motor and idle to a safe depth. Trimming up will save the seagrass and costly repairs to your props and engine!

  • Push

    If you run aground or trimming up is not an option, push your boat to a safe depth. Please do not try to use your engine; proceeding under power will damage the eelgrass, disturb the sediments, and damage your motor.

What is at stake?

Eco-Moorings

Traditional moorings use a heavy chain that drags on the seafloor around a central anchoring point - usually a cement block. These chains create large bare circles, removing the eelgrass in its path through repetitive scraping and dragging.

Eco-moorings are a particular class of moorings designed to prevent the damage caused by traditional moorings when installed in eelgrass beds.

Learn more about the

Save Our Seagrass Movement