(e.g., cuttings, rhizome fragments or cores) collected from donor meadows. Relatively few seagrass restoration efforts have used sexually derived propagules. The infrequent use of sexually derived propagules is probably in part due to the temporal and spatial variability of seed availability, as well as the perception that survival rates of seeds and seedlings are poor. Although survival rates are often low, recent reviews of seed-based research highlight that this is probably because of limited knowledge about availability and collection of quality seed, skills in seed handling and delivery, and suitability of restoration sites. Methods for collecting and preparing propagules vary according to their characteristics and typically harness their natural dispersal mechanisms. For example, for viviparous taxa such as Amphibolis, recently detached seedlings can be collected by placing fibrous and weighted material, such as sand-filled hessian bags, which the seedlings' grappling structures attach to as they drift past. In this way thousands of seedlings can be captured in less than a square meter. Typically, sandbags are deployed in locations where restoration is required, and are not collected and re-deployed elsewhere. For species which have seeds contained within spathes (e.g., Zostera spp.), these can be harvested using divers or mechanical harvesters. In Chesapeake Bay several million Zostera marina seeds have been collected each year during the peak reproductive season using a mechanical harvester. Seeds are extracted from spathes after harvesting, but the methods of extraction and delivery vary. For example, some methods involve keeping the spathes within large holding tanks where they eventually split open and release the (negatively buoyant) seeds, which are then collected from the tank bottom. The seeds are then placed in a flume to determine seed quality based on settling velocity, after which they are scattered by hand from boats over recipient habitats. Alternatively, using buoys anchored in place, Z. marina spathes can be suspended over restoration sites in mesh bags; the spathes release and deliver the seeds to the seafloor. For species that release seeds from fruits that float (Posidonia spp., Halophila spp.), fruits can be detached from the parent plant by shaking; they then float to the surface where they are collected in nets. Seeds are then extracted from the fruit via vigorous aeration and water movement from pumps at stable temperatures (25 °C) within tanks. The negatively buoyant seeds are then collected from the tank bottom and scattered by-hand over recipient habitats. Other methods have