[Coastal America logo]

Project Summary

West Galveston Bay Seagrass Restoration

Regional Map


1. Project Identification

Name West Galveston Bay Seagrass Restoration
Region Gulf of Mexico
State TX
Location Western Galveston Island
Date of this update 26 July 1996

2. Problem(s) addressed (check one or more)

Habitat Restoration/Protection   X
Wetlands
River systems
Beaches/Dunes
Offshore areas
Mangroves
Assisting Species at Risk
Pollution Mitigation
Non-Point Source Pollution
Other (describe)  

3. Project Description (100 words or less. Please include qualitative information, e.g. acres of habitat restored, miles of steam reopened to migration, and legislative authorization, e.g. WRDA, ISTEA, CWA/NEP, CZMA, etc.)

Seagrasses are nurseries for many marine species, often supporting faunal densities much greater than those found in bare sand or mud habitats. In the western portion of the Galveston Bay estuary, seagrass acreage declined from 890 hectares (2200 acres) in 1956 to zero by 1989. Most of these seagrass meadows (primarily shoalgrass, Halodule wrightii) grew along the barrier island edges of western West Bay. The only remaining seagrass beds (about 36 hectares or 89 acres) still in existence are found in Christmas Bay, a semi-isolated embayment adjoining West Bay. Seagrass loss has been attributed primarily to direct and indirect effects of dredging canal housing developments, such as disposal on and dredging through seagrasses, increased turbidity, and increased wave action after bulkheading.

Successful restoration of seagrass beds will increase habitat for species of commercial and recreational importance such as penaeid shrimp, blue crab, and spotted sea trout as well as their prey, and it will also stabilize shorelines and slow erosion. Because of increased water clarity in the West Bay (due to decreased dredging) and the area's history of supporting lush seagrass beds, restoration now appears to be possible. However, natural recolonization has been hindered by the lack of nearby propagule or seed source; therefore, efforts were made to restore approximately 4000 m2 (1 acre) of viable shoalgrass in West Bay. The objectives were to determine survival and growth rates of transplanted shoalgrass planted at various densities and depths and to obtain evidence of increased faunal densities above those in neighboring non-vegetated substrates. Two areas along western Galveston Island were replanted with Halodule in late April and early May of 1994. Monitoring of the plantings and the organisms inhabiting the restored areas continued through 1995. Final estimation of shoalgrass coverage was made in 1996. One site (Snake Island Cove, 2600 m2 planted) failed during 1995 for unknown reasons. The second site (Redfish Cove, 1300 m2 planted) seems to be successful, as over 1000 m2 of shoalgrass were alive and spreading in June 1996. Densities of fishes and decapods are higher in the restored areas than in adjacent non-vegetated sands.

The project was funded at $75,000 through EPA's Near Coastal Waters Program, with NMFS/NOAA serving as the federal lead and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department serving as the state lead. Both lead agencies were responsible for advance planning and subsequent site monitoring, attracting volunteers, arranging travel, and providing manpower, supplies and equipment (a combined $25,000 in kind match). A variety of federal and nonfederal partners have contributed to this activity: the COE provided permitting histories for coastal development and restoration site selection; the FWS and EPA assisted in site selection and work plan development; and the Texas General Land Office facilitated the permitting process. These agencies plus Texas A&M University, Dillard University and the Galveston Bay Foundation provided volunteer manpower to set up, conduct and monitor the transplanting.

4. Goals/Benefits (quantify where possible using measures of success list) Was a cost-benefit study conducted for this project? yes/no If yes, provide a summary of findings.

1000 m2 (0.25 acres) of shoalgrass restored. / No.

5. Partners (include each participant's responsibilities - funding, permitting, etc.)

6. Funding/Contributions (organization and amount)

7. Legislative authorities used by each participant

---

8. Value added by Coastal America Partnership including Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals achieved through this collaboration (500 words or less)

  1. Would the project have been undertaken by a single agency? (yes or no)
    Yes, the project could have been done by one State or Federal agency
  2. IF YES: How was the project different as a Coastal America Partnership Project than it would have been as a single agency project? (e.g. size and scope, funding, time frame, etc.)
    Each partner brought a different but complementary set of skills and knowledge to enable smooth progress. In addition, the scale of the project would have prevented all but the largest agencies from fielding enough manpower for the short time frame needed for transplanting.

9. Project Status

Initiation date April 1994
Completion date September 1995
Current stage Completed

10. Contacts

11. Any additional information/comments

Results will be used by the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission's Galveston Bay Program to plan and conduct further seagrass restoration actions, with a goal of restoring 567 hectares (1400 acres) of submerged aquatic vegetation in 10 years.

This page was last updated on Saturday, 24-Jun-2000 11:48:47 EDT
Coastal America * Coastal America Regions
Coastal America Reporters Building 300 7th Street, SW Suite 680 Washington, DC 20250
(202) 401-9928 * (202) 401-9821 (FAX)
comments to lawrencea@fas.usda.gov