The Nantucket Land and Water Council is spearheading the project, which replaces traditional mooring anchors and chains with tackle that stays up off the bottom of the harbor.
Nantucket Waterkeeper RJ Turcotte said they are currently recruiting owners of small boats, up to 25 feet, with shallow moorings in less than eight feet of water. The moorings must be located in eelgrass beds, in specific parts of Nantucket Harbor.
"And this is a way for boat owners to help save the harbor and its most critical plant and still get to keep their boats – same spot, same setup. Everything from the waterline up is the same," Turcotte said.
Turcotte explained the project replaces the traditional anchor chain with a floating elastic line, much like a thick bungee cord. The anchors are also swapped out.
"So it's still holding onto your boat," he explained, "but it is no longer dragging in that slow, elliptical circle that we see because our boats are getting tugged by the wind and they're getting tugged by the current in the tide. Your boat’s still swinging on its mooring, but it’s not doing anything to the habitat below."
A grant from the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation will pay for up to 25 mooring replacements. Turcotte said it's nearly a $3,000 value per participant.
Once a mooring is replaced, Turcotte said, the eelgrass should recover on its own.
"It'll just come back because a lot of the lower harbor is flushed well enough, and has good enough water quality, to just support eelgrass as it is," he explained.
Turcotte said eelgrass is a critical part of the harbor’s ecosystem, and crucial to the bay scallop population.
