Saanich Inlet Eelgrass Habitat Assessment

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a species of seagrass that can be found along Canada’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as well as the coast of James Bay in the Arctic. It can form expansive, underwater meadows, also known as eelgrass beds. These eelgrass beds are considered important ecosystem engineers, creating complex 3D structure with their leaves that benefit marine species and coastal ecosystems as a whole. In British Columbia, up to 80 per cent of commercially important fish and invertebrate species rely on eelgrass during their life cycle.

For more information on Eelgrass you can visit Oceana.ca and the Town of Gibsons has an information sheet as well at Gibsons.ca.