Town of Nantucket Eelgrass Management Plan
- Jul 2, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: May 9
This plan was produced by the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, in cooperation with the Town of Nantucket and the Nantucket Land & Water Council. Funding for this report was provided by the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation.
View the full plan below:
Executive Summary
Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) plays an important role in shaping coastal ecosystems of Nantucket by stabilizing sediment, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and serving as a feeding ground, food source, refuge, and nursery for many different species including the iconic Nantucket bay scallop. Over the last 40 years, eelgrass has declined worldwide as a result of increased turbidity, algal blooms, physical disturbances, disease, and a host of other stressors. This trend is evident in Nantucket waters too, with a decline of 62% of eelgrass locally between 2006 and 2024 (Town of Nantucket Natural Resources Department and personal communication, Stephen Heck June 2025).
Understanding the importance of eelgrass to the ecosystem, history, and social fabric of the Island, the Town initiated the development of an Eelgrass Management Plan. The purpose of the plan is to gather historic and baseline conditions, document stressors to eelgrass, identify actions to first protect and stabilize existing beds and then enhance/restore eelgrass, and determine ways to improve outreach and education.
Building on research papers, years of monitoring and local data, regional eelgrass mapping, contributions from eelgrass experts familiar with Nantucket, and the outcomes of a handful of local restoration projects, this Eelgrass Management Plan outlines more than 50 actions the Town should take to reduce loss of existing eelgrass and restore historic eelgrass where appropriate. The actions are grouped under the topics of protection, restoration, research and monitoring, mitigation, laws and regulations, outreach and education, and collaboration and implementation.
The planning team and advisors prioritized recommendations while considering the feasibility of implementation for each. Based on that analysis, the team prioritized the following recommendations for short-term action:
Select indicators that aid in tracking eelgrass health (e.g., growing, stable, declining, or degraded), protecting and monitoring existing eelgrass beds, and identifying potential restoration sites
Eliminate stressors that can be addressed in the near-term to protect existing eelgrass beds and enhance restoration efforts
Conduct a comprehensive public outreach program to support eelgrass protection • Review municipal bylaws and regulations to identify potential changes to further protect eelgrass beds
Adopt an adaptive approach which allows for changes in the plan and project priorities due to new data, funding options, shifting environmental conditions, and other factors
Develop quarterly and annual reports on eelgrass health status to allow for adaptive management
Develop a table of ongoing and future eelgrass monitoring programs and continue and expand upon existing eelgrass monitoring
Develop data collection protocols to ensure groups are collecting data in similar ways
Deploy water temperature loggers in a range of areas to monitor year-round temperatures and their correlation with eelgrass health
Create a project questionnaire to determine if proposed projects will affect eelgrass and its habitat
Seek and obtain funding for eelgrass protection, restoration, research, and outreach work
Develop an Eelgrass Management Plan Implementation Committee to meet 3-4 times a year to discuss annual goals and projects
The plan also contains many additional recommendations for both short- and long-term action. Some examples of high priority items that may not be feasible in the short-term include addressing the extensive list of water quality impacts, determining all the causes of eelgrass degradation, creating frameworks and requirements for mitigation projects, and more.
This document is a living document that should be revisited as new information, tools, and resources become available. The Eelgrass Management Plan was developed with funding from the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation. The plan was developed by the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston in close consultation with the Town of Nantucket, the Nantucket Land & Water Council, a steering committee, and a panel of scientific advisors.
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