The Sea Urchin roundup held in the St. Joe Bay over the weekend was a big success.
The Florida Wildlife Research Institute said the 25 volunteers took part in Saturday’s roundup and collected about 1500 sea urchins.
The biggest event was September, 2022 when nearly 24 thousand urchins were collected.
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 Florida Wildlife Research Institute said the 25 volunteers took part in Saturday’s roundup and collected about 1500 sea urchins.
The biggest event was September, 2022 when nearly 24 thousand urchins were collected.
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.
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