Signs Point to Seagrass Protection

In honor of Earth Day, the new signs that are being installed throughout the Tampa Bay waterways were unveiled on April 22, at a ceremony held at Fort De Soto boat ramp. There are 100 signs that are being placed at local boat ramps and marinas to remind boaters to help protect seagrasses and manatees....
Over the past 100 years, Tampa Bay has lost more than 80 percent of its seagrass beds due mostly to wastewater discharges and dredging for port and residential waterfront development. This loss has severed a crucial link in the bay's food chain for fish and wildlife resources, causing the collapse of the bay's scallop and oyster fisheries and major declines in bait and food shrimp, spotted sea trout and red drum.
In Tampa Bay, seagrasses are mostly found along the shoreline fringe, barely exceeding a 2-meter depth. Seagrass coverage in Tampa Bay has slowly been increasing and it is estimated that there are now nearly 28,000 acres....