Save Our Seagrass

Save Our Seagrass

Seagrass habitat plays an important role in maintaining a diverse and healthy coastal ecosystem in Florida. Unfortunately, this valuable habitat is threatened by human activities. Coastal runoff from nearshore construction and agricultural projects, storm runoff from cities, dredging operations, and micro-algal blooms can reduce the amount of light reaching the plants and may even smother them. Additionally, off-course boaters may rip giant "blowholes" into seagrass formations.
                                                      
Why seagrasses are important:

Florida is estimated to have over 2,000,000 acres of nearshore seagrass. Florida's acres of seagrasses are important natural resources that perform many valuable functions:

1. They stabilize the sea bottom with their roots and rhizomes in much the same way that land grasses retard soil erosion (often important when storms approach our coastlines and threaten Florida beaches, businesses, and homes).

2. They help maintain water clarity by trapping fine sediments and particles. Bottom areas without seagrass are more often stirred up by wind and waves decreasing the water clarity and affecting marine animal behavior and recreational quality of coastal areas).

3. They provide habitat for many species of fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish. Research has shown many species are dependent on seagrass meadows for habitat.

4. Seagrasses and the organisms that grow on them are food sources for many animals, including wild manatees.

5. They are nursery areas for much of Florida's recreationally and commercially important marine life.

Operating a boat in water that is too shallow can result in propeller scars and blowholes. Propeller scars are created when the metal propeller, spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute, cuts deep into the root and rhizome system of the plants, leaving a furrow that can stretch across the grass bed. A depression called a blowhole forms when the boat operator grounds the boat and then tries to "motor off" using the engine. The engine not only digs in a circular shaped blowhole, but forces sediment into a pile or berm that covers and harms nearby grasses.

Blowholes and prop scars can take as long as seven to ten years to heal, primarily because seagrass plants are not capable of growing downward, away from light, into the damaged area. Currents can also wash away loose sediments and prevent the establishment of new plants. Repeated damage from boaters over time can result in habitat fragmentation and the erosion of the entire banktop. 

To address the loss of seagrass habitat due to boating impacts, scientists have developed techniques to repair damaged areas. The first step in the restoration process is to fill the scar or hole so that it is level with the surrounding area. Small rocks and gravel are used to fill the holes and scars first and a layer of finer sediments is placed on top. Shoal grass shoots are then carefully transplanted to the site. In time, this fast-growing species stabilizes loose sediments and promotes the establishment of the slower-growing climax species like turtle grass. 

In some sites, "bird stakes" are used in the restoration process. The relatively small T-shaped stakes, which are attractive bird perches, are pounded into the sediments along the length of the prop scar. The use of stakes to attract birds provides a natural way to fertilize seagrass beds as bird feces are high in nutrients needed by the growing seagrass. After one or two years, when the grass plants have established themselves, the stakes are removed to prevent over-fertilization of the site. Rather than leaving the site to recover on its own, restoration activities have significantly reduced the amount of time required for damaged seagrass beds in the monitoring area to recover.
                                                                             
Help Us Protect Restoration Efforts:
                                                                         
There are currently more than 30 seagrass restoration projects are underway across Florida, many of them in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Marine Sanctuary protects over 2,900 square nautical miles of critical marine habitat, including coral reef, hard bottom, seagrass meadow, mangrove communities and sand flats.
                                                                          
With the newly elected administration in Florida threatening to make severe cuts to environmental restoration projects as well as a legislature that is largely apathetic to environmental causes, it is important for citizens to let their voices be heard. Please sign the petition and consider Becoming a Member of Save Our Shores! Florida today.

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