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Tape Grass Habitat Restoration Along the Caloosahatchee River
Near Fort Myers, the South Florida Water Management District launched an experimental project in the Caloosahatchee River above Franklin Lock and Dam in efforts to re-seed upstream estuary habitat. The project seeks to make the area hospitable once again to juvenile blue crab, fish, and many other species dependent upon vegetative cover in early stages of development.
Tape grass, (Vallisneria americana), provides excellent habitat for many Florida species such as blue crab. It is particularly important to the reproductive process, as it serves as spawning area and protective nursery for crab in the early stages of development. The long strands of grass emerging from root clusters, often arising in fairly dense underwater meadows provide cover and protection from predators for young, vulnerable crab and other species native to the Caloosahatchee.
While tape grass and other sheltering grass species such as turtle grass are fairly common often growing plentifully in both still and fast moving waters throughout Florida and other states, its presence is key in the developmental stages of many estuarine wildlife species. Areas upstream of Franklin Lock and Dam have suffered the loss of a large amount of tape grass meadows over the years. A number of factors, including effects of human development and an extended drought period have impacted salinity levels and thus the success of tape grass growth and sustenance. For these reasons, the SFWMD is initiating a project to re-seed tape grass areas upstream, where plants may grow less effected by salinity fluctuations. The project serves to increase habitat upstream in addition to continuing to seed the downstream environment.
For more information, go check out the news story online at: https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=3034,19800838,3034_19800997:3034_19801083&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Another tape grass and other sea grasses habitat area that has experienced some degree of degradation is the 14-mile stretch of seagrasses, constituting a vital bay estuary just off shore of Pensacola Bay. As a result of chemical plant releases, among other factors, the greatest degree of loss in the way of tape grass and other sea grasses, (tape and widgeon grasses still survive there, while others do not), sheltering a wide variety of fish and scallops in the area has taken place in the Escambia Bay section of the area. A number of efforts to restore vital gulf estuary seagrass habitat has been undertaken over the years with varying degrees of success.
For more information online, check out: ftp://ftp.dep.state.fl.us/pub/water/basin411/pensacola/status/Fig2-2.pdf
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