Draft eelgrass management plan released; board urged public comment and protection focus

Town Natural Resources staff presented a draft eelgrass management plan to the Harbor Shellfish Advisory Board on June 17, showing a long‑term decline in eelgrass coverage across Nantucket Harbor and urging public comment on the draft.

Tara Riley said benthic surveys dating to 2006 show average eelgrass coverage across the harbor declined from about 33% in 2006 to roughly 13% in 2024. The draft—privately funded by the Great Harbor Yacht Club and developed with UMass Boston’s Urban Harbors Institute and the Nantucket Land and Water Council—prioritizes protection measures because restoration is costly and often fails: staff cited a roughly 13% success rate for restoration attempts noted in the plan.

The draft lists physical, chemical and environmental stressors (from shoreline fertilizer and sedimentation to wave and vessel‑induced scour) and offers an extensive list of possible recommendations that are not yet prioritized. Staff said a dredge study will run this September to evaluate dredging methods and monitoring approaches and that a working group will be formed to refine implementation steps. The deadline for public comments on the draft was described as June 22; staff said the plan will remain a living document that can be adjusted over time.

Board members expressed strong support for action and raised questions about reducing sedimentation and changing shoreline practices to help eelgrass recovery. Natural Resources staff said outreach, updated mooring practices and targeted protection are likely first steps; no formal board vote was taken during the meeting.