All About Eelgrass

Photo by Kat Beheshti

Dr. Kat Beheshti is all about eelgrass.

“Eelgrass is a flowering plant that grows in the waters of the estuary,” Kat explains. “Eelgrass beds provide nursery habitat for many species, ranging from Dungeness crab to leopard sharks.”

As the Reserve researcher leading seagrass meadow restoration at Hester Marsh, Kat is studying how eelgrass protects restored creek banks from erosion by slowing wind waves, and providing refuge for fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals, such as sea otters.

Reserve researcher Kat Beheshti (right), studies how eelgrass protects restored creek banks from erosion by slowing wind waves, and providing refuge for fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals, such as sea otters.

Photo by Jacqueline Schwartz

Kat recently co-authored a report entitled "Eelgrass Restoration on the U.S. West Coast: A Comprehensive Assessment of Restoration Techniques and Their Outcomes", released by the Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership.

Written to guide conservation scientists and stewards in seagrass restoration, the report synthesizes the results of 51 eelgrass restoration projects on the west coast to evaluate methods and outcomes. The report concludes that selecting suitable sites for restoring eelgrass was more important to success than the specific transplanting methods used.

Or, to borrow one of Kat’s favorite catchphrases, pick a suitable site, then … “Just slough it!”

To download a PDF (8.3 MB) of Kat’s report, visit https://tinyurl.com/EelgrassSynthesisReport