Ragus travels to Essex to discover different species of seagrass

Ragus, as a Bronze Sponsor of Project Seagrass, continues to support the UK-based charity’s efforts to conserve seagrass meadows. Since 2022, Ragus’ ESG Manager, Henry Eastick, has made regular visits to the Project Seagrass sites and headquarters in Wales to support conservation activities. On this occasion, however, a new species of seagrass led him instead to the Thames Estuary, in Essex.

In this article, I will share the story of my latest visit to Project Seagrass to learn more about a new seagrass species the charity aims to restore.

Up until recently, Ragus supported Project Seagrass to restore and maintain a species of seagrass called zostera marina, a marine flowering plant known commonly as eelgrass. I had made regular visits to the charity’s base in Bridgend, Wales, not far from the seagrass research laboratory at Swansea University. My most recent visit took me to Southend-on-Sea, on the Thames Estuary in Essex, to learn more about another species of seagrass that is growing there.

This new species is called zostera noltii. Though the species may be new to the Ragus team, it is not new to Project Seagrass. Zostera marina and zostera noltii are the two species of seagrass found in UK waters.   Zostera noltii goes by its common name dwarf eelgrass, as it is smaller in size compared to zostera marina. Zostera noltii is grass-like in appearance, and typically found on lower estuary or shallow coastal waters. The health and preservation of zostera noltii is important to local coastal ecosystems.

We’ve written about the importance of conserving and restoring seagrass meadows on our charity page before. Highly productive seagrass beds or meadows provide a natural habitat for marine wildlife, help protect against coastal flooding and erosion, and capture carbon faster than tropical rainforests. This means seagrass ecosystems can help us in the fight against climate change, and support efforts to meet net zero carbon emissions targets.

Despite this fact, seagrass ecosystems have declined worldwide. In the UK, it’s estimated that loss of seagrass in recent years may reach 92%. There are multiple reasons for seagrass loss in the UK, including a wasting disease, but dwelling on these reasons is not the purpose of this blog. The restoration of seagrass ecosystems in the UK remains extremely important, and Project Seagrass is leading on this.

The objective of my visit to Essex was to support the Project Seagrass team, led by Project Officer Emma Fox, to analyse a seagrass meadow and to assess its health, maturity and density. Unlike zostera marina, zostera noltii seeds are too small for harvesting. So, a different approach was necessary.

I joined the Project Seagrass team in the zostera noltii seagrass meadow. The main task was to collect core samples using a PVC pipe. This pipe or tube can be capped at either end to ensure the sample retains its moisture and it can be transported securely to a testing laboratory. A differential global positioning system (DGPS), which provides more accurate positioning information than standard GPS, was used to track the location of the sample holes so the team could record:
 
• sediment type
• algae presence – an abundance of algae indicates contaminants in the water
• meadow density

Following the fieldwork and sample collection, all the core samples have been collected and transported to the Project Seagrass nursery in Wales for testing and analysis. This will enable Project Seagrass to build a database and create a map of what the meadow looks like.

By mapping the expanse of the seagrass meadow and analysing its nature and condition, Project Seagrass will have the best knowledge and resources to restore and conserve it.

This was just another successful day out in the field for Project Seagrass. As the marine conservation charity continues its important work, Ragus will be there to support it. Learn more about Ragus’ charity activities via our charity work page or follow our LinkedIn charity and community page.