Project Summary

1. Project ID
Name	Seagrass Management Plan
Region	Gulf of Mexico Region
State	FL
Location	Pensacola Bay, Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound
Date of this update	8/10/00

Habitat Restoration/Protection
Wetlands
River systems
Beaches/Dunes
Offshore areas
Mangroves
Assisting Species at Risk
Pollution Mitigation
Non-Point Source Pollution
Other (describe)

3. Project description (100 words or less)

Problem Statement: The status of seagrasses, or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), is a well-established indication of the overall health of an ecosystem. Seagrass health and acreage is positively correlated with the health and status of many commercially and recreationally important seafood species such as shrimp, crabs, scallops, redfish, speckled trout, and mullet. For these reasons, many areas in Florida have implemented seagrass monitoring programs to determine the health and trends of local seagrass populations (City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, City of Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Lignumvitae Key, Indian River Lagoon, Biscayne Bay, and others). A recent study funded by the National Park Service Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) (Heck et al. 1996) illustrated a significant decline in the seagrass populations of Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound, two of the last remaining stands of seagrass in the Pensacola Bay System. The investigators of this study for GINS hypothesized a light attenuation problem in these waterbodies caused by an increase in turbidity. The increased turbidity is likely a result of increased shoreline erosion and stormwater runoff, which increases the suspended solids in the water column, and increased nutrients from septic systems and wastewater treatment facilities, which increase algae and phytoplankton. Epiphytic algae growth on seagrass blades has been shown to reduce seagrass photosynthesis by as much as 35-60% (Borowitzka and Lethbridge 1989).

Proposed Project: The FDEP Northwest District Ecosystem Restoration Section (ERS) has been utilizing a tissue culture micropropagation technique to produce and restore seagrass populations in Pensacola Bay for over four years. But it appears we are fighting a losing battle as we are seeing seagrasses decline faster than we can restore them. For this reason, the ERS is beginning a seagrass monitoring program that will allow us to more accurately determine the extent of the problem, and, combined with a monthly water quality monitoring program, will allow us to better determine the probable reasons for the seagrass decline. The results of this monitoring program will be utilized to draft the "Seagrass Management Plan for Big Lagoon and Santa Rosa Sound", which will be presented to the Escambia and Santa Rosa County Commissioners for implementation. The Plan will provide the scientific data and facts that the local governmental leaders say they need in order to take action.

The seagrass field monitoring will involve bi-annual (April and October) diving along 20 established transects to record shoot density, percent cover, species composition, and canopy height. Hydrolab parameters that will be measured monthly at each transect will include water depth, water temperature, pH, conductivity, and salinity. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) will be continuously monitored at two sites using Li-Cor dataloggers and underwater light sensors. Water samples will be collected monthly at each transect for the laboratory analysis of turbidity, color, total suspended solids (TSS), chlorophyll a, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia, nitrate + nitrite (NO2 + NO3), total phosphorus, ortho-phosphorus, and algal growth potential (AGP). These 10 laboratory analyses for each of 20 stations will total 276 (including field blanks and duplicates) laboratory analyses per month, or 2760 analyses per year.

Many of these transects are located at, or in close proximity to, stormwater drain outfalls. Therefore, as an added benefit of this study, the water quality monitoring component will determine the impact and influence of the stormwater discharges on the health of seagrasses.

4. Goals/Benefits (quantify where possible using measures of success list) Was a cost-benefit study conducted for this project? yes/no If yes, provide a summary of findings.

5. Partners (include each participant's responsibilities - funding, permitting, etc.)

6. Funding/Contributions (organization and amount)

	 	  Cash	Federal
			Non Federal 	State government
					Local government
					Private industry
					Public interest groups
			Total


	  In-Kind Services (hours, equipment, or other forms of assistance and estimated dollar 	value)
	
	  Volunteers (number of people and hours, and estimated dollar value)
                

7. Legislative authorities used by each participant

8. Value added by Coastal America Partnership including Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals achieved through this collaboration (500 words or less)

9. Project Status

• Initiation date:
• Completion date:
• Current stage (Initiated - I, Underway - U or Completed - C)

10. Contacts

11. Any additional information/comments