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Seagrass Beds Play an Important Role in the Health of Tampa Bay

Photo Credit: FWC

Scientists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) are working to maintain and restore Florida seagrass beds.

Seagrasses play an important role in the health of Florida estuaries. They support economically important fish species such as spotted sea trout, red drum, snook, grouper and mullet. Manatees, sea turtles, shellfish and seahorses also depend on these areas for survival. Seagrasses stabilize the sea bottom, recycle nutrients, produce oxygen and improve water clarity.

In the past 50 years, many of Florida's estuaries have experienced significant loss of seagrasses. Human activities such as water pollution and dredging have played a major role in this decline. Natural occurrences such as storms, climate changes and animal activities also impact already stressed seagrass beds.

Scientists at FWRI have developed a new method to monitor seagrass beds. Researcher Paul Carlson created a cost-effective system for conducting aerial seagrass surveys using a large helium filled balloon. Scientists place a digital still camera in a plastic container and attach it to the bottom of the balloon. Once the camera is in place, they release the tethered balloon high into the sky.

In addition to being cost effective, another principal advantage of the balloon is the ability to obtain photographs with better resolution than those taken from an airplane. At approximately 100 to 125 meters (328 to 410 feet) above the water, the camera provides pictures with a close aerial perspective of the seagrass beds below. Using an inexpensive digital camera at this low altitude, it's possible to see objects as small as 15 cm long (or 6") on the bay bottom.

The balloon has a few minor disadvantages. First, learning to maneuver the balloon takes a bit of training. Also, the Federal Aviation Admission will not allow a balloon to be flown near airports or above 500 feet.

In recent and ongoing studies, FWRI researchers use the balloon to photograph seagrasses transplanted in Tampa Bay, and seagrass patches planted by volunteers near Feather Sound. They also use the balloon to monitor prop scars caused by boaters in Saint Andrews Bay. In the prop scar studies, researchers hope to see whether signs marking the edges of seagrass beds lead to fewer boat groundings.

Scientists plan to use data from these studies to help recover seagrass beds throughout the state.