Gov. Bush recognizes March as Seagrass Awareness Month
Florida's seagrasses crucial to the environment and economy
Article published on Wednesday, March 8, 2006  |
TALLAHASSEE - Recognizing the importance of seagrasses to Florida's marine environment, the commercial and recreational fishing industry and the economy, Gov. Jeb Bush acknowledged March 2006 as Seagrass Awareness Month.
"Florida's seagrasses support recreational and commercial communities throughout the State," said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen M. Castille. "Preserving these underwater grasses is critical to the prosperity of Florida's marine life, water quality and citizens."
Seagrasses are flowering underwater grasses found in estuaries, lagoons and shallow, open shelves off Florida's coast. Florida is home to seven species of seagrasses. A critical marine habitat, seagrasses provide a nursery ground for marine life and maintain water quality and clarity by stabilizing bottom sediments and filtering nutrients from stormwater run-off.
Last year alone, seagrass communities throughout the state supported a commercial fish and shellfish harvest of $109 million. Florida's multi-million dollar fishing industry depends on healthy seagrasses to protect young fish and shellfish, coral reefs and other marine life, including sea turtles, manatees and wading birds. Recreational divers, snorkelers and fishing enthusiasts from around the world visit underwater Florida to experience the State's world-class marine resources.
In 1998, local, state and federal agencies partnered with conservation groups and commercial and recreational fishermen to create the Florida Keys-based Seagrass Outreach Partnership, an organization formed to educate Florida boaters about the importance of seagrasses.
An estimated 173,000 acres of Florida seagrasses are scarred from boat propellers. Impacts from boat groundings fragment the grass bed, restricting the movement of the marine life that rely on the habitat. Seagrasses can take up to a decade to recover from propeller scars.
While affecting habitat, boating in seagrass beds can also damage vessel engines, hulls and propellers. Groundings that damage seagrass habitats are offenses subject to both federal and state fines, including civil penalties, damage assessment and habitat restoration costs and long-term monitoring of the restored site.
For more information, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/habitats/seagrass.
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Article published on Wednesday, March 8, 2006
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