An urchin roundup will be held in the
St. Joe Bay later this month.
The St. Joseph Bay Sea Urchin Roundup was originally scheduled
for May 21st but was postponed due to bad weather, with the new date set for
June 18th.
The
Urchin Round Up is a cooperative effort between the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation
Commission.
The
event has volunteers remove urchins from the St. Joe Bay in an effort to
protect seagrasses there.
The
urchins are moved to deeper water.
Sea
urchins consume large amounts of seagrass and in some
instances, urchin-grazing rates can lead to overgrazing which damages the
seagrass beds.
The
underwater grasses are extremely important because a single acre of seagrass
can support as many as 40,000 fish and more than 70 percent of Florida’s
recreational and commercial fisheries depend on seagrass to provide a nursery
ground for marine life.
The
grasses also maintain water quality and clarity by stabilizing bottom sediments
and filtering nutrients from stormwater run-off.
The
next event will be held on Saturday, June 18th starting at 8AM.
You
will be able to register to take part on the day of the event at the Frank Pate
Boat ramp in Port ST. Joe.
You will need your own boat and snorkeling equipment.
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