If you would like to know the status of seagrass in the Apalachicola Bay or in other water bodies around Florida, that information is now available from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The FWC has just released the second edition of its statewide seagrass report.
Scientists and collaborators from agencies across Florida, have compiled new information on seagrass health and status as well as maps of the distribution of seagrass beds in each estuary or subregion of the state.
Researchers estimate there are approximately 2.5 million acres of seagrass in estuaries and nearshore waters of Florida - the largest beds of seagrasses found in the continental United States.
And Florida's seagrass beds are extremely valuable marine habitats.
Many economically important fish and shellfish species depend on seagrass beds for their survival.
Seagrasses also provide food and shelter for endangered mammals and turtles, and play a vital role in the ecosystem.
The seagrass monitoring program was developed in 2009 to protect and manage seagrasses in Florida by providing a collaborative resource for seagrass mapping, monitoring and data sharing.
If you would like to see the full statewide seagrass report for yourself go to myfwc.com/reseacrh and click on the habitat link.
http://myfwc.com/media/4139041/franklin-county-coastal-waters.pdf
http://live.oysterradio.com/
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