Division of Marine Fisheries HubLine Eelgrass Restoration Mid-project Progress Report By The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Submitted to The Department of Environmental Protection Prepared by: N. Tay Evans, Wesley Dukes and Jillian Carr Paul J. Diodati Director Deval Patrick, Governor Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Secretary Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Mary B. Griffin, Commissioner Department of Fish and Game June 2013 Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.0 Background ............................................................................................................................................. 4 3.0 Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 Permitting ........................................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Site Selection ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Site characteristics ................................................................................................................................ 5 Test plots ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Reconnaissance and Site layout ............................................................................................................ 6 3.3 Transplanting ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Field schedule ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Planting design ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Harvesting methods .............................................................................................................................. 7 Planting methods .................................................................................................................................. 7 Method comparison study .................................................................................................................... 8 Volunteer days ...................................................................................................................................... 8 3.4 Monitoring .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Transplant sites ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Reference beds ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Donor beds ............................................................................................................................................ 9 4.0 Site descriptions, Results & Discussion ................................................................................................... 9 4.1 Beverly (Woodbury Point) .................................................................................................................. 9 Site selection ......................................................................................................................................... 9 2011 Planting ...................................................................................................................................... 10 2012 planting ...................................................................................................................................... 11 i 4.2 Fort Pickering .................................................................................................................................... 12 Site Selection ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Method comparison study .................................................................................................................. 12 2012 Planting ...................................................................................................................................... 13 4.3 Middle Ground .................................................................................................................................. 13 Site selection ....................................................................................................................................... 13 2012 planting ...................................................................................................................................... 14 4.4 Juniper Cove ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Site selection ....................................................................................................................................... 14 2012 planting ...................................................................................................................................... 14 4.5 Salem Sound, West Beach Reference Bed ........................................................................................ 15 4.6 Governors Island Flats and Deer Island Flats, Boston Harbor .......................................................... 15 Site selection ....................................................................................................................................... 15 4.7 Long Island East, Boston Harbor ....................................................................................................... 16 Site Selection ....................................................................................................................................... 16 4.8 Lovell Island ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Site Selection ....................................................................................................................................... 16 4.9 Thompson Island ............................................................................................................................... 16 4.10 2012 Outer Islands .......................................................................................................................... 17 Green Island ........................................................................................................................................ 17 Great Brewster Island ......................................................................................................................... 17 Gallops Island ...................................................................................................................................... 17 5.0 Project budget and expenditures to date ............................................................................................. 17 6.0 Next Steps and 2013 field season plans ................................................................................................ 18 7.0 References ............................................................................................................................................ 18 ii Tables .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Figures ......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................. 35 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................. 41 Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................. 43 iii 1.0 Executive Summary This report serves as our 2012 annual report and mid-project update summarizing MarineFisheries’ progress after three years of work to restore eelgrass to Salem Sound and Boston Harbor, funded as partial mitigation for Algonquin’s HubLine pipeline impacts to eelgrass in Beverly Harbor. Our project began in 2010 when we received funding to restore 1.8 acres of eelgrass based on test planting performed in 2009 by Battelle. In 2010 we assigned the project manager and hired one full time project staff member, began project planning and worked on site selection and reconnaissance in the field. In 2011 staff was increased to two full time staff on the project in addition to the project manager. In 2011 we initiated full scale planting at the pipeline impact scar in Beverly and conducted additional test-plots and site selection data collection throughout Salem