Despite growth and continued development in the Tampa Bay area, seagrass levels are up. That's a positive sign about the water quality.



Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (Swiftmud's) Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) released the results of their 2014 seagrass mapping study.

It shows Tampa Bay now supports 40,295 acres of seagrass beds, the largest amount of seagrass measured since the 1950s.

This increase in seagrass has now surpassed the recovery goal of 38,000 acres bay-wide, set 23 years ago by the Tampa Bay Estuary program.

District scientists report a 16.3 percent increase in seagrass coverage in Tampa Bay, which totals 5,652 acres of seagrass between 2012 and 2014.



“This is a remarkable achievement, made even more so when you consider that the bay region has grown by more than 1 million people in the last 15 years,” said Holly Greening, director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. “This kind of environmental recovery is a living testament to the collective efforts of all of us working together – the cities and counties, the private sector and the citizens who treasure the bay.”

This is the fourth consecutive survey to show increases for the Tampa Bay system.

“Anyone in the Tampa Bay area who enjoys the picturesque Tampa Bay clean water, seagrass is helping to keep that water clean,” said Kris Kaufman, a senior environmental Scientist with the Swiftmud.



Kaufman said that in the 1970’s coastal development and pollution significantly impacted Tampa Bay seagrass. Now with sustained good water quality in the bay, seagrasses are flourishing.

Kaufman said this is happening thanks to a lot of hard work from organizations and community members.

“The community has spent millions of dollars over the last 30-years to clean up the bay and keep the system healthy by reducing nutrients, storm water improvement projects, your local fertilizer ordinances and coastal cleans ups that communities are involved in,” Kaufman said.

Seagrasses are an important barometer of a bay’s health because they require relatively clean water to flourish. They are sensitive to changes in water clarity and quality. Seagrass also provides habitat for marine life like fish and shrimp.

The District’s maps are used as a tool for measuring and tracking biological integrity of estuaries as it relates to water quality conditions.



Seagrass generally grows in waters less than 6 feet deep, but in the clear waters around Egmont and Anclote Keys it can be found in water 10 feet deep or more.

Greening cautions against becoming complacent about the success and slowing bay restoration and protection efforts.

With growth accelerating, “it will be a challenge to sustain this momentum and these types of gains in the coming years,” Greening said. “We should definitely pause for a moment as a community to celebrate and savor what is truly a major milestone in a decades-long effort to restore our bay.”

Swiftmud began its formal seagrass mapping program in 1988. As part of the program, SWIM scientists assess seagrass in five gulf coast estuaries.

Every two years, maps are produced from aerial photographs and then verified for accuracy by conducting field surveys.

The results are used to track trends in seagrass and to evaluate ongoing water quality improvement efforts.

Seagrass map results for Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota and Charlotte will be available later this year.