A team of scientists and "underwater gardeners" say their aquatic makeover in Shoal Bay last week saw 400 sea grass shoots re-planted in scars in vegetation left by boat moorings.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Associate Professor Adriana Vergés, of the University of NSW, is leading "Operation Posidonia", which has conducted four plantings of the sea grass Posidonia in the bay over the past 18 months.
The grass provides a safe habitat for many species including seahorses, blue swimmer crabs, cuttlefish and snapper.
The project is using the bay to examine the efficacy of re-planting Posidonia in restoring sea beds affected by storms and boating.
The test site covers 100 square metres in Shoal Bay and so far the team has replanted 1,800 shoots of Posidonia, according to Giulia Ferretto, a PhD student working on the project.
The team has also replaced traditional block and chain boat moorings in the area with environmentally friendly versions, called EFMs.
Associate Professor Vergés said if the project is a success the method of re-planting shoots and replacing moorings could be used in estuaries where endangered Posidonia populations and boating co-exist.
"So far it looks like we can do it," she said.
"It's early days but the shoots we planted in winter are surviving better than those we planted previously.
"This time we replanted our first shoots under the EFMs, so fingers-crossed they survive."
Related stories:
