e3s attended the SIT Environmental Management Bachelor of Science 3rd year thesis presentations recently to support our intern student Stephanie Shaw as she presented her findings from the subtidal seagrass mapping assessment completed earlier this year.

This assessment provides an updated dataset of seagrass beds in Bluff Harbour which was last completed 20 years ago, and findings were that although changes were observed within each specific bed, overall subtidal seagrass beds had increased in size since the last assessment in 2004.

Importantly, seagrass beds have moved into currently consented but largely unused aquaculture farming sites which will need consideration prior to re-establishing marine farming at these locations.