New buoy system to help protect seagrass in the St. Joe Bay

Boaters have a new tool to help them navigate the shallow waters around St. Joseph Bay.

The Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserve has installed a new “Caution Shallow Seagrass Area” buoy system to help boaters stay in the deep-water channels, reducing the potential for running aground and damaging seagrass beds.  

Seagrass plays an important role in the health of the bay, providing habitat and food to many species. 

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.

But seagrasses face a continuing threat from Florida boaters.

An estimated 174,000 acres of Florida seagrasses are scarred from boat propellers.

Scarring from boat propellers poses a significant threat to seagrass communities. 

Depending on the severity, it may take up to 10 years to repair prop-scar damage and some areas may never recover.

Brochures featuring a map of the buoy locations will soon be distributed to local marinas, the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve and the Gulf County Tourist Development Council to familiarize boaters with the new system.

Kiosks at local boat ramps will also feature maps of the buoy system and educational information about protecting this critical habitat.

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