DISTRIBUTION OF SEAGRASSES IN A NORTH PUGET-SOUND ESTUARY - PADILLA BAY, WASHINGTON, USA

The seagrasses and macroalgal mats in Padilla Bay, Washington, USA, were mapped during summer 1989, based on color aerial photography and extensive ground truth surveys. The seagrass Zostera marina L., was the most abundant seagrass in the bay covering about 2900 ha in the mid and lower intertidal flats. Zostera japonica Aschers. and Graebn. was distributed higher in the intertidal than Z. marina and covered about 300 ha. The seagrass Ruppia maritima L. s.l., reported from Padilla Bay for the first time, is widely distributed at a very sparse density over about 100 ha. Large accumulations of Ulva and Enteromorpha covered about 200 ha in the southern part of Padilla Bay, The seagrass beds in Padilla Bay, covering a total of about 3200 ha, are one of the largest contiguous beds of seagrass along the Pacific coast of North America.