Innovative Techniques for Large - scale Collection , Processing , and Storage of Eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) Seeds

PROBLEM: The use of eelgrass (Zostera marina) seeds is increasingly being recognized as a viable option for both smalland large-scale restoration projects. Although methods for handcollecting, processing and storing eelgrass seeds have advanced to match the scale of collections, the number of seeds collected has limited the scale of restoration efforts, as well as the scale of ecologically relevant experiments. Recent experience with mechanized harvest of reproductive shoots has transcended the limitations of scale imposed upon divers working underwater during springtime with often severe weather limitations. Processing and storage methodologies and infrastructure previously scaled to hand collection now pose a bottleneck to the expansion of restoration and research to larger, previously unachievable scales.