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How To Protect Seagrasses

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 22, 2009

Concerning your editorial on seagrasses (Feb. 14):

After decades of research on seagrass damage in Cockroach Bay we have learned the following:

1. Seagrasses are essential to the ecology of Tampa Bay. The loss of seagrasses will result in declining populations of shrimp, crabs and popular game fish. They should be protected.

2. Prop-scar damage will occur in seagrasses regardless of protective measures.

3. Since seagrasses are very slow to recover from prop-scar injury, damage is accumulative and may result in the loss of entire beds of seagrasses. Some beds have been completely lost in the past seven years.

4. When warning signs are placed near a seagrass bed, prop-scar damage will decline. Most of the original protective signs are no longer present.

5. Law enforcement can help, but, as you stated in the editorial, it is very expensive.

6. Banning motors in shallow seagrass beds will protect some seagrasses. In the 1990s large areas of Cockroach Bay were designated as "motor's up" sites. Seagrasses did recover in the protected areas. During that period signs were in place and enforcement was also available.

7. The easiest plan is to re-grow seagrasses each year. At a cost of around $5,000 every spring, prop scars can be repaired. Several techniques have been researched and proven to work. A simple maintenance program can be established to re-grow all of the damaged seagrass beds and can be verified by the county each year. In this manner, regardless of the reason damage occurs, the beds will recover.

Hopefully, Hillsborough County will get involved in the protection of seagrasses by placing signs at the edge of seagrasses, restricting motors in critical areas and setting up a yearly recovery program. Thank you for your excellent and timely editorial.

NICHOLAS EHRINGER

Seffner

The writer is a retired professor of biology from Hillsborough Community College, Brandon.

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