Aquatic grasses provide critical habitat to key species and can improve water clarity. Seagrasses are submerged plants found in shallow waters and are a critical part of the water that provide a number of benefits like buffering coastal communities from storms, removing pollution from the water, and providing shelter for animals.
How is it measured?
Estimates of aquatic grasses cover are derived each year by VIMS using aerial surveys. The aquatic grasses score is determined as the area of aquatic grasses present in each of the 15 reporting regions as a percentage of the restoration goal. Each reporting region is assigned a score representing progress towards the goal.
Threshold levels
| Reporting Region | SAV restoration goal by reporting region (acres) |
|---|---|
| Upper Bay | 14,978 |
| Mid Bay | 18,436 |
| Lower Bay | 35,872 |
| Patuxent River | 1,954 |
| Potomac River | 21,203 |
| Rappahannock River | 2,534 |
| York River | 3,304 |
| James River | 2,629 |
| Elizabeth River | No Grow Zone |
| Upper Eastern Shore | 12,866 |
| Choptank River | 13,953 |
| Lower Eastern Shore (Tangier) | 57,651 |
| Patapsco-Back Rivers | 389 |
| Upper Western Shore | 3,661 |
| Lower Western Shore (MD) | 1,811 |
| Total | 191,241 |