The Surfrider Club at East Hampton Middle School helped restore eelgrass to waters in Three Mile Harbor last month, and members of the club told the East Hampton Town Trustees about their efforts at a meeting on Friday.
“Eelgrass is an important part of our ecosystem in our bays, creeks, and harbors,” said Sebastian Coria, a member of the club. “It’s the perfect habitat and nursery for finfish and shellfish.”
To help the native populations, the students spent three hours on Oct. 26 using waterproof glue to attach eelgrass seeds to the backs of clams. In the end, the group glued some 10,000 eelgrass seeds to over 1,000 clams. The clams were scheduled then to be released into Napeague Harbor.
“In recent years, our native eelgrass population has been diminished by pollution and non-native invasive species,” said Natalie Petykowski. “Sadly, there is barely any eelgrass left in East Hampton waters.”
“The cool part is that when the clam digs down into the sandy mud, it will bring the eelgrass seeds into the ideal spot for them to grow,” said Abigail Leland, another member of the club.
The project was done with the help of the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery.