EAC Citizen Science Eelgrass Monitoring Data

The Marine Team at the Ecology Action Centre (Halifax, NS) is working to document eelgrass health across Nova Scotia. Data collection is done through a community based monitoring program referred to as the Citizen Science Eelgrass Monitoring Program. Volunteer citizen scientists assist the EAC in locating and documenting eelgrass beds through kayak surveys. Time lapse photography (via GoPro Hero 7) is used to capture images of the seabed below the keel of the participants kayak and linked to GPS locations. Once photos are collected, data regarding eelgrass presence, absence and density are recorded by staff and trained volunteer analysts. Overtime, the collection of data by citizen scientists will add knowledge to the current distribution of eelgrass across the province and be used to inform management decisions regarding the species' well being.