Eelgrass – flourishing in the Helford
The seagrass (Zostera marina) or eelgrass beds off Durgan Beach on the Helford are an important sub feature of the Fal and Helford SAC and the extent of the beds has been mapped over the years by various volunteers from the Helford VMCA. Seagrass beds are an important habitat for the juvenile of a number of fish and invertebrate species and the Helford bed is also protected by two marker buoys which help to stop visiting yachtsmen from anchoring in the bay and potentially causing damage.
As part of the regular monitoring programme of the SAC, I and some volunteers from Cornwall Wildlife Trust (to whom I say a big thank you for all your efforts) came down to the Helford on the good boat EVA on the 17th July to see how the seagrass was getting on and to see if it had spread into the adjacent moorings. Although the weather was not perfect and the visibility not good, the team were able to carry out three transect swims measuring the percentage cover of the plants, makeup of the seabed and were also able to map the edges of the bed.
Preliminary analysis of the data show that the seagrass is in good health and that the extent has not changed significantly from the previous survey. However, there is some evidence that the seagrass has spread slightly westwards and isolated clumps can now be found in and around the moorings.
I hope that we will be able to repeat this study next and subsequent years and also include some more detailed work on both the health of the seagrass and a more accurate survey of the density and individual plant length of the grass on the Helford. Until then though, I am happy to report the seagrass on the Helford is continuing to flourish.
Kevan Cook, Natural England