Reports of Seagrass Integrated Mapping and Monitoring (SIMM) Program

The FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute developed the SIMM program to protect and manage seagrasses in Florida by providing a collaborative resource for seagrass mapping, monitoring, and data sharing. The statewide report was the second produced by the SIMM program to provide scientists, resource managers, legislators, and other stakeholders a summary of the status of Florida seagrasses. This program is inactive, and updates to chapters are not anticipated.

The editors organized the reports to provide information to a wide range of readers. The Executive Summary gives an overview of the stressors affecting seagrass ecosystems, monitoring and mapping efforts throughout Florida, and a statewide summary of seagrass status. The Introduction presents the history of the SIMM program and the rationale for developing it. Chapters provide information from researchers and managers on each estuary or region of Florida coastal waters. The 23 regional chapters are listed in geographical order below, beginning in the western Panhandle and ending with the northern Indian River Lagoon on Florida's east coast. In each chapter, contributors provide a concise overall assessment and color-coded "report cards" of seagrass status, as well as a map of the distribution of seagrass beds in the estuary or subregion, created using the latest available mapping product. Chapters include data and information from monitoring, mapping, and management programs. Additional information on the region is provided, including geography, geology, watershed characteristics, and human development. Water quality data and assessment, including light available to seagrasses, are presented where available. Data collection methods and availability are described, and a list of pertinent reports, scientific publications, websites, and contact information for chapter authors is provided at the end of each chapter.

Version 2

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Authors, Contributors, and SIMM Team Members

Chapter Reports

Perdido Bay (version 3.0, added 9/2018)

Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound (version 3.0, added 10/2018)

Santa Rosa Sound and Big Lagoon
(now appears in Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound)