The Tisbury eelgrass advisory committee presented a report and recommendations to Tisbury selectmen Tuesday night that included a proposal to ban anchoring in certain areas of Tashmoo and Lagoon Ponds to maintain the health of eelgrass in the salt pond.
“We formed this committee to make recommendations for us to protect eelgrass in our waters,” selectmen chairman Melinda Loberg said.
Gerry Hokanson, chairman of the eelgrass committee, presented the committee’s report to selectmen, which included recommendations for anchoring and moorings in Lake Tashmoo and Lagoon Pond.
According to the report, eelgrass is a valuable ecological resource that needs to be protected as it impacts the total nitrogen in the water, as well as dissolved oxygen. Eelgrass also has an effect on green crabs, geese, ducks, sediment quality, turbidity, water clarity, wave tidal energy, fertilizer, pesticides, and shellfishing activities.
Mr. Hokanson said that specific recommendations need to be developed by the Harbor Management Committee (HMC), the harbormaster, and the board of selectmen. He also said that selectmen should develop a monitoring program to evaluate the impact of a no-anchor zone.
Ms. Loberg posed a series of questions: “If the town was going to entertain banning anchoring in eelgrass, anywhere, what are the alternatives for anchoring? Where are the places that people could anchor that do not affect eelgrass? Is it possible for us to redirect people so that they have a place [to anchor]?”
Ms. Loberg asked the committee to explore these questions and return when selectmen next meet on Sept. 13.
