Finally, the eelgrass is coming back

Scientists' effort to bring the eelgrass back to Danish waters has proven very successful: After 2 years, there are now 70 times more eelgrass shoots in Horsens Fjord in Denmark. Since 1900, Denmark has lost 80-90 % of the once lush beds of eelgrass that grew along our shores and in fjords. This is not only bad for fish and other animals that need the eelgrass as a habitat; it is also bad for the climate, because eelgrass is effective at binding and storing carbon. On that background, biologists from the University of Southern Denmark decided to investigate whether it is possible to restore eelgrass meadows in Denmark. Their work also has implications for other species of seagrasses, suffering the same fate elsewhere in the world. Grows like weed. Recently, a research team led by postdoc Troels Lange from the Department of Biology, carried out an experiment with transplanting small, new eelgrass shoots into Horsens Fjord.