Over the past couple of weeks, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Marine Team and Solent Seagrass Champions set out to collect (Zostera marina) seed from Seaview (Isle of Wight) and Calshot (Hampshire), in a bid to restore seagrass meadows. As a Seagrass Restoration Intern, this was my first seed collection on the Island. I was a little unsure of what to expect, but the marine team quickly equipped me with hints and tips to identify the tic-tac shaped seeds.
While patiently awaiting the low tidal depth, we caught up with old friends and changed into wetsuits, wellies or wading gear, bracing ourselves for the cold! We then headed out into wading territory with our buckets and collecting bags, ready to locate ripe seed. In the sea, we were looking for seagrass shoots that had flowered (spathes), as these shoots develop seed once they have been pollinated. We carefully walked through the sandy mud and sieved through the seagrass until we stumbled across shoots with tiny peas in a pod. The seed!
Seeds initially form as bright green, almost luminescent, “tic-tacs” before maturing into a bigger, darker green-brown seed. Once identified, we could hand-pick spathes containing the mature seed into our handy buckets. In the evenings, the tide was a little higher, allowing for an up-close snorkelling experience of seagrass meadows and the wonderful wildlife hidden within. From sea snails to pipefish, the seabed was certainly full of surprises.
