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Roadblocks to Seagrass Recovery

researchers with boat

This project was funded by the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) of the National Fish and Wildlife Federation which disperses criminal penalty monies paid by Transocean and BP due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The project assessed conditions in shallow waters in the estuaries of Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend region to determine which factors might be preventing seagrass recovery in areas where seagrasses have disappeared. A spatial model developed by the project provides managers and scientists with an assessment of local conditions in each estuary and the potential of success for seagrass restoration projects. Near the end of the project, in October 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a category 5 hurricane. This project was extended at no cost to examine the effects of the storm on seagrasses in St. Andrew Bay and St. Joseph Bay.

Contact us with any questions or comments regarding the Roadblocks to Seagrass Recovery project.

Project Information and Reports

View general information about the project, including the project proposal and final report.

underwater view of seagrass and white marker

Hurricane Michael

View reports updating seagrass status and trends in these estuaries impacted by Hurricane Michael.

aerial view of seagrass scars

Workshops, Information, and Partner Reports
View materials presented at workshops held in the winter and spring in 2016.

Seagrass Recovery Potential Model: Information and Model Layers
View documents related to Seagrass Recovery Potential models.