The restoration effort relies on the Seeds of Eelgrass Attached to Shellfish (SEAS) method, which glues seeds to live clams that bury them into the seabed. In fall 2025, researchers and volunteers deposited 30,000 seeded clams across trial plots situated near Westbrook, Connecticut. Subsequent drone surveys documented a 178 percent expansion in meadow coverage at the targeted location by 2026. However, project organizers emphasize that the restored plants must endure for three years before the intervention can be considered a lasting success.
Key points
The SEAS restoration technique leverages the natural burrowing habits of clams to securel…: The SEAS restoration technique leverages the natural burrowing habits of clams to securely plant seeds directly into the seabed.
Healthy eelgrass meadows play an essential ecological role by stabilizing marine sediment…: Healthy eelgrass meadows play an essential ecological role by stabilizing marine sediment, filtering coastal water, and sheltering marine life.
Project coordinators caution that the newly established plants must survive for three ful…: Project coordinators caution that the newly established plants must survive for three full years to demonstrate permanent restoration success.
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In the shallow waters of Long Island Sound, Connecticut volunteers are using an unlikely pair of helpers to bring back an underwater forest: live clams and eelgrass seeds. Researchers and community members are gluing seeds to clam shells, then releasing the clams at carefully chosen sites where they burrow into the seabed and effectively plant the seeds. The approach, known as Seeds of Eelgrass Attached to Shellfish (SEAS), has already produced encouraging early results, with drone imagery showing a 178 percent increase in eelgrass meadow coverage after the 2025 planting. The work matters because eelgrass meadows in and around Long Island Sound have declined by more than 90 percent since the 1980s, according to Save the Sound. These underwater grasslands shelter young fish and invertebrates, filter water, absorb excess nutrients, stabilise shorelines, and release oxygen. Restoring them is difficult, but the clam planting method may offer a practical, nature-based way to rebuild habitat that has all but disappeared. Read more about it here:
Why eelgrass is worth saving
Eelgrass, or Zostera marina, is a flowering plant that grows entirely underwater…
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