Seagrasses are grass-like flowering plants that live completely submerged in marine and estuarine waters. Seagrasses provide shelter and protection essential to supporting much of the Bay’s aquatic life. It is generally recognized that seagrass coverage is a function of water clarity and availability of appropriate bottom substrate. The Bay area is home to five common species of seagrasses: shoal grass, turtle grass, manatee grass, widgeon grass and star grass.
Seagrass habitat decreased by 30 percent from 1950 to 1988 as a result of declines in water clarity and dredge-and-fill projects.
Aerial photography shows that seagrass beds have grown by more than 1,200 acres. This growth has created 5,500 acres of continuous, interconnected seagrass which surpasses what aerial photos show existed in 1950. Approximately 593 new acres of seagrasses have been mapped between 1988 and 2003. Continuous seagrass beds in Sarasota Bay have also increased by 3,465 acres; this equates to a total of 4,058 acres of new or improved seagrass beds in Sarasota Bay.
The overall increase in new beds and the presence of more continuous beds suggests that water quality has improved in Sarasota Bay. Moreover, trends in seagrass regeneration vary among embayments, most likely due to differences in nearby water quality.
North Sarasota Bay has seen expansion in coverage as well as the lower bays. These positive trends are indicative of water-quality improvement throughout Sarasota Bay segments.
SBEP is working with its major partners to better understand the fluctuation in seagrass coverage throughout Sarasota Bay.