There are only nine meeting it at one meter. Although figures aren't available, field observations report a strong comeback for grasses throughout the Bay this year. That follows the beating grasses took last year, declining 10 percent Baywide to 63,496 acres. This year's drought turned off the tap that flushes large amounts of nutrients and sediments into the Bay, where they cloud the water. The good news extends even to Tangier Sound.
Initial surveys show grasses back in many areas.
But, Bergstrom cautioned, many returning grass beds appear to be sparse. Also, they are composed mostly of widgeon grass, a species that comes and goes more rapidly than the more stable eelgrass which once dominated the area. Unlike the Western Shore rivers, which offer more shelter to recovering grass beds, the Tangier Sound beds are less protected should the high flows seen in many recent years return. Research has been under way this summer to better understand what is going on in Tangier Sound. No one believes that all the questions will be answered without more research in the future, but as potential causes are narrowed, potential management options will become clearer.