When Robert Vasiluth was a child growing up on Long Island, New York, his Uncle Gill encouraged him to make a difference in the world. “He was always interested in the stuff I was building, always believed in me and wanted me to become an innovator,” said Vasiluth, a lifelong resident of Long Island. “Not just any innovator but one that does something good for the world that nobody has ever done before.”
Years later, as Uncle Gill battled cancer, he asked his nephew a simple question: “Well?” Vasiluth promised that when the right opportunity came, he would be all in — a promise that would eventually take root in local waters.
Robert Vasiluth as a child with his father. Credit: Robert Vasiluth.
Vasiluth developed an innovative way to restore eelgrass (Zostera marina), a vital underwater plant that once flourished in the waters around Long Island. The water has lost much of its eelgrass over the past century due to disease, pollution, dredging, and warming waters. The decline has damaged marine habitats, weakened water quality, and contributed to shoreline erosion.
Eelgrass is often called a “forest of the sea.” It provides habitat for fish, scallops, crabs, and countless other marine species. Its roots stabilize sediment, protecting shorelines from erosion. Just as importantly, eelgrass absorbs and stores significant amounts of carbon dioxide, helping mitigate climate change.
For decades, restoration efforts relied on scattering eelgrass seeds into the water, hoping they would take root. While sometimes successful, the method is labor-intensive and costly. Vasiluth’s approach, known as the SEAS Method — Seeds of Eelgrass Attached to Shellfish — takes a different path. Instead of scattering seeds, he glues five to ten eelgrass seeds onto baby clams using a biodegradable adhesive. When released into the bays, the clams naturally burrow into the seafloor, effectively planting the seeds beneath the sediment where they are more likely to survive.
The method mimics the natural symbiotic relationship between clams and eelgrass. Clams filter water and bring oxygen into the sediment, creating healthier conditions for eelgrass roots. In turn, eelgrass traps organic matter that feeds the clams. The partnership strengthens both species — an important development in bays that have also seen dramatic shellfish declines.
To support the effort, Vasiluth founded SAVE Environmental (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Engineers), that promotes nature-based restoration. The organization partners with groups including The Nature Conservancy, Cornell University, SUNY Stony Brook, Save the Great South Bay, and others.
The seasonal process begins with obtaining permits to restore targeted areas in the bays. Volunteers then scuba dive or snorkel to collect reproductive eelgrass shoots. The shoots are placed in flowing seawater tanks, where seeds are harvested, sorted, and prepared.
Robert Vasiluth. Credit: Robert Vasiluth.
After the seeds are glued onto the baby clams, they’re stored until deployment. Vasiluth even designed a specialized spreader, built from an old treadmill, that releases the living seed pods evenly into designated restoration sites.
So far, eelgrass has been planted in multiple locations, including the Great South Bay and areas near Fire Island and Shinnecock Bay. Results have been encouraging. At Barrett Beach, previously planted eelgrass is now thriving.
The project also engages local students. Sayville High School students have participated in gluing seeds to clams. James Bertsch, a trustee for the Sayville Board of Education and director of Save the Great South Bay, said the hands-on work makes environmental lessons tangible.
“Taking action to affect change is a powerful learning tool,” Bertsch said. “Our students learned that the Great South Bay needs to be saved, and they learned we can all do something to help.”
For Vasiluth, restoring eelgrass is deeply personal. As a child, he remembers diving underwater and seeing lush meadows of eelgrass. When he later returned and could no longer find them, the loss stayed with him.
Today, he believes his uncle would be proud. “I’m determined to succeed in saving not only eelgrass,” Vasiluth said, “but most importantly, all the priceless creatures that exist within and beyond the disappearing meadows of life.”
In the waters of Long Island, the seeds of inspiration are taking root — one clam at a time.
