Grass is greener beneath the sea
GIANT SEAGRASS MEADOWS BEING PLANTED ALONG COAST
PLANTING has started on massive underwater grass meadows off Gwynedd as part of the North Wales Seagrass Ocean Rescue project.
The project will see over 5 million seagrass seeds planted over 10 hectares off Pwllheli, Abersoch and around Anglesey over the next three years.
Around 100,000 of these seeds are being spread off the coast of the popular Haven Holiday Park, with the work getting underway yesterday.
Many people were in attendance to witness the first batch of planting of this climate friendly plant which absorbs CO2 and traps it under the seabed.
Weather permitting, divers will swim out during the low tides and begin the seed planting process, which will be done through two methods, Dispenser
Injection Seeding (DIS) and hessian bags. DIS, involves mixing marine mud with seagrass seeds, before you inject this mixture into the sediment with a caulking gun.
The hessian bags are filled with a mix of sand and seed, before being buried in the sediment, the bags prevent the seeds spreading or being eaten by various species, including green crabs, which are prominent in the bay. Eventually the bags will also break down naturally, leaving no waste left over.
Experts have confirmed the plant is vital for biodiversity and that replanting these meadows will help to attract over 80,000 fish and over 100 million invertebrates back to these sites, along with dozens of other sea creatures.
Julie Rostan, Ocean Recovery Advocacy and Policy Manager at WWF Cymru, said: “The UK has lost up to 92% of its seagrass in the last century. It is vital that we bring this important habitat back to Welsh seas so it can help us mitigate the impact of climate change and restore marine wildlife.
“We are excited to get started on the planting in Penychain this week with the local community who are at the heart of the project’s design and delivery. This restoration programme is hugely significant as it will act as a blueprint for future seagrass restoration across the UK and globally.”
The project launched last August when Seagrass Ocean Rescue began collecting the seagrass seeds off the coast of Porthdinllaen, which is rich with the plant. The group is managed by WWF in partnership with Project Seagrass, Swansea University, North Wales Wildlife Trust and Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau SAC, working with communities to deliver the project.
Restoration will continue at selected sites on the coast of Pen Llyn this Spring, and at sites on Anglesey next year. The project has been designed with the local community and the sites selected based on input from local people and ecological considerations.
Last December the project was granted £1 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help carry out the work. Though the project has also received funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation and Carlsberg.
Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, said: “This is a project for today’s and future generations with its community focus, the restoration of marine habitat and significant role in addressing the climate emergency.
“We’re thrilled to see it pass such an important milestone.”