Port of Aarhus and University of Southern Denmark plant eelgrass in Aarhus Bay

Eelgrass has several benefits for both biodiversity and the marine environment, but to begin with, the eelgrass must tell the researchers from the university what the state of the water is like. And once they are wiser about where the eelgrass can grow, the beneficial plant must be propagated on a large scale.

“It is a valuable research project, in which you become more aware of the state of the environment and nature, and at the same time you can do something positive for the marine environment. It also highlights how stressed the marine environment is,” says Rune Steinfurth, postdoc at the Department of Biology at the University of Southern Denmark.

Rune Steinfurth and SDU's large marine research group work everyday with marine-nature restoration, and they have a great expertise when it comes to eelgrass.

The eelgrass will be planted at varying depths and under variable environmental conditions, and then time will tell how deep it can grow. The deeper it can grow, the better the environmental conditions.

The five plant sites are then continuously examined to determine how deep the plants can grow in the areas, which will show how much land is available for nature restoration. In the long term, the eelgrass will need to be planted on a larger scale.

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I am pleased that we are part of this initiative, which in the long term will both improve the marine environment and increase biodiversity along our coastline. A port is a link between land and water, and we have an important task in helping to improve the marine environment in Aarhus Bay.

- says Thomas Haber Borch, Director at the Port of Aarhus.

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The Port of Aarhus expects to invest up to DKK 15 million in the coming years to improve the marine environment and biodiversity in the Gulf of Aarhus.

The Ålegras project is part of the political agreement on the port expansion adopted by a broad majority of Aarhus City Council.

“We know how crucial eelgrass is as growth areas for fish and fry, but also in terms of binding nitrogen. Therefore, it is good news that some sites are now being tested so that we can follow up with planting on a large scale,” says the mayor of Aarhus Municipality, Jacob Bundsgaard, and continues:

An important part of the political agreement on the port expansion is that the Port of Aarhus must give something back to the bay — also in this light it is good to see that work is underway.

During the week, freedivers will sail out the selected sites and dive down to plant the eelgrass.

The researchers from the University of Southern Denmark will use the plantings as a test to provide new knowledge about the conditions under which eelgrass in Aarhus Bay can have the best possible effect on the marine environment.