kelp

Marine biologist Dr. Kristina Boerder explains that Eastern Shore marine ecosystems and salt marshes are providing “important ecosystem services” that benefit humans and nature.

• Protection from coastal erosion
• Providing important habitat for a multitude of species
• Benefiting local fisheries
• Acting as important carbon sinks (absorbing & storing carbon dioxide)
• Providing breeding and nursery habitat for terrestrial, near-shore, and migratory birds
• Providing “shelter, foraging, and breeding habitat for marine invertebrates, such as shrimp and crabs, and small fish”