28 August 2008

Seagrass-Watch's electronic news service, providing marine and coastal news of international and national interest. Abbreviated articles are presented with links to their source.
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IN THIS BULLETIN
NEWS..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Muddy Fay runoff flows to the Gulf of Mexico (Fort Myers,FL,USA) ................................................................................................................. 1
DEP Receives $2.57 Million Grant for Florida Coasts (Glen Saint Mary,FL,USA)............................................................................................ 2
Minister confirms Port Botany project to get under way (Ledbury, England, UK).............................................................................................. 2
Share and Enjoy [?] (Vero Beach,FL,USA) ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Restoring Alabama's coast (Washington,DC,USA)........................................................................................................................................... 2
The importance of taking a vast 'snapshot' of Island's coral reefs (Hamilton, Bermuda) .................................................................................. 3
Water quality is troubling issue (Salisbury, MD, USA)....................................................................................................................................... 3
Tampa Bay Watch volunteers monitor bay scallops (Seminole, FL, USA)........................................................................................................ 3
Call for Articles: Seagrass-Watch News Issue 34 .................................................................................................................................................. 4
FROM HQ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 33 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Seagrass-Watch Shop ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Virtual Herbarium .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Giveaways......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Future sampling dates....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Handy Seagrass Links ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Please note: links to sources were active on date of publication. Some sources remove links periodically.
NEWS
Muddy Fay runoff flows to the Gulf of Mexico (Fort Myers,FL,USA)
26 August 2008, The News-Press
Dark brown water from the Caloosahatchee River stains the Gulf of Mexico like chocolate syrup spilled onto a green
floor -- a parting shot from Tropical Storm Fay.
When Fay blustered through Southwest Florida on Aug. 19, it poured as much as 12 inches of rain onto Lee County,
14 inches onto Hendry County and 15 onto Glades County. All that rain was good for an area parched by a two-year
drought, but it also created a lot of runoff that has muddied the Caloosahatchee and turned the river almost fully fresh
as far downstream as Shell Point in south Fort Myers. In May, the salinity at Shell Point was more than 35 parts per
thousand; at 3 p.m. Monday, it was 1.26 ppt. Salinity levels in the river can range from pure fresh water to greater
than 35 ppt.
"Obviously, the turbidity is going to be high, and we expect seagrasses to be impacted," said Aswani Volety,
chairman of Florida Gulf Coast University's Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences. "Fresh water will also be
a factor: It depends on how long the fresh water stays in the system. Fay's other possible effects are algal blooms
caused by excess nutrients in the system.
Full story and source http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/GREEN/80825112/1075
www.seagrasswatch.org
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DEP Receives $2.57 Million Grant for Florida Coasts (Glen Saint Mary,FL,USA)
25 August 2008, North Florida NewsDaily
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been awarded a $2.57 million grant
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to continue and increase protection for Florida's
coastal resources and to further the state's work in revitalizing coastal communities.
"The help of federal grant funding means that Florida can continue our commitment to restore marine habitat and
safeguard vital coastal areas," said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole. "By working with other agencies as well as local
governments and nonprofit organizations, we can protect the sandy beaches and coastal communities that attract
millions of visitors every year and provide an outstanding quality of life for residents."
The grant will be used for a variety of state priorities including investigating Florida's offshore springs and
archaeological sites; continue the agency's understanding and research with non-point source pollution such as
fertilizers, oil and grease runoff from roadways, or faulty septic systems; developing plans for post-disaster
redevelopment and harmful algal bloom response; restoring seagrasses; developing a statewide program for
reporting seagrass status and trends; and developing a beach sediment atlas. In addition, five coastal communities
and non-profit groups will receive funds to improve public access to public lands, restore coastal habitats, revitalize
waterfront areas, promote shoreline stewardship and develop a maritime museum. These five subgrants, totaling
almost $200,000 and distributed by DEP to the local communities, support the larger mission of the federal grant and
contribute to the state's environmental priorities.
Full story and source: http://www.northfloridanewsdaily.com/News/2008/0825/top_news/185.html
Minister confirms Port Botany project to get under way (Ledbury, England, UK)
20 August 2008, Dredging News Online
New South Wales' Minister for Ports & Waterways has confirmed that dredging is about to commence at Port Botany
in Australia as part of the first stage of the A$1 billion port expansion. In a statement, Ports and Waterways Minister
Joe Tripodi said the dredging process would take a year.
"Dredging the bay will ensure we have the capacity to accommodate the expected doubling of trade through the port
over the next 10 to 15 years," Mr Tripodi said. "A silt curtain is being installed around the area where dredging is
being done to confine sediment and to protect the wider Botany Bay environment."
"Protecting the environment and reducing disruption to recreational bay users will be a priority with the entire
expansion project. A second silt curtain will be installed around an area of seagrass adjacent to Foreshore Beach to
ensure this natural habitat is also protected from sediment from the dredging process." Water quality monitoring has
already commenced to set a baseline against which to measure turbidity or cloudiness resulting from the dredging
activities.
Full story and source : http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=11208
Share and Enjoy [?] (Vero Beach,FL,USA)
19 August 2008, Vero Beach Press-Journal (subscription)
The value of enjoying the warm breezes along the Indian River Lagoon in the dead of winter may be priceless, but
when it comes to getting money to protect the waterway it helps to have some hard dollars and cents to demonstrate
its worth. That's what officials with the St. Johns River Water Management District hope to do with a study done for
the organization that tags the annual economic value of the waterway flowing through Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River,
Brevard and Volusia counties at $3.725 billion.
That number is about five times the value put on the lagoon a dozen years earlier, although some of the economic
factors were looked at differently in the latest study. The number includes annual recreational expenditures of $1.3
billion spent by residents and visitors to the lagoon -- from buying boats to dock fees -- as well as $762 million more
they would be willing to pay to enjoy recreational activities on the estuary.
Troy Rice, director of the district's Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, said the information can be used
when trying to secure money for projects such as muck removal and reducing the amount of fresh water flowing into
the waterway. Rice said there is a misconception that the quality of the lagoon has deteriorated, but "overall the
lagoon is in pretty good shape." The amount of sea grass in the lagoon, for instance, is equal to what it was in the
1940s, he said.
Full story and source : http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/aug/19/30gtlagoons-impact-on-economy-about-4b/
Restoring Alabama's coast (Washington,DC,USA)
18 August 2008, EurekAlert (press release)
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division and the Dauphin Island Sea
Lab have partnered to conduct extensive habitat restoration, monitoring and research along the Alabama coast. This
www.seagrasswatch.org
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historic partnership will provide $1.5 million to the DISL over the next three years for research and conservation
activities. These funds are provided by a post-Hurricane Katrina fisheries restoration grant from the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration,
Under this partnership, the DISL will construct shoreline restoration projects at two sites. Both of these projects will
utilize oyster shell breakwaters to protect eroding shorelines and promote the re-establishment of marsh plants and
seagrasses along the shoreline.
Additionally, a seagrass restoration project in Little Lagoon adjacent to the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge will
be significantly expanded. This project will compare the feasibility and cost-efficacy of several seagrass planting
methods. $400,000 will be utilized to construct these projects.
Full story and source : http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/disl-rac081808.php
The importance of taking a vast 'snapshot' of Island's coral reefs (Hamilton, Bermuda)
21 August 2008, Royal Gazette
The Bermuda Reef Ecosystem Assessment and Mapping (BREAM) project aims to monitor the health of our reefs
and the distribution of coral and fish species across the Island platform. The project is the marine part of the Bermuda
Zoological Society's Bermuda Biodiversity Project, which aims to build a database of all Island species. Funded by
the Department of Conservation Services with grants from other bodies such as NOAA (the US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration), its studies will not only help to shape fisheries management but the creation of Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs).
The survey of Bermuda's coral reefs began several years ago, with an initiative by Dr. Annie Glasspool of the
Bermuda Zoological Society and Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer, then curator of the Bermuda Natural History Museum. It has
been a labour of love but now the BREAM team's diligent mapping of our waters is revealing fascinating secrets
about our underwater kingdom.
The Bermuda Reef Ecosystem Assessment and Mapping (BREAM) project has not only discovered 40 potential new
dive sites but has given our reefs a clean bill of health, thanks to up to seven thriving dominant species. The team
have also discovered less healthy aspects to our marine environment -- a dwindling shark population and a 50
percent decline in our seagrass.
"When we started our surveys in 2004, we also discovered that seagrass seemed to be dying across a lot of the
outer reef. That summer we looked at 55 spots, mapping seagrass across the platform. We found out that probably
half of our seagrass has disappeared in the last ten years. A local team of scientists, Dr. Sarah Manuel and Dr. Kathy
Coates of Conservation Services, are currently working with a group of scientists in Florida trying to figure out why."
Full story and source : http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d889333003000c&sectionId=60
Water quality is troubling issue (Salisbury, MD, USA)
18 August 2008, Delmarva Now
Chincoteague Bay is known for its rich biodiversity and picturesque sunsets over Assateague Island, Worcester and
Accomack counties. It was once the site of a steady shellfish industry that sent clams and oysters to several major
cities on the East Coast. During the early 20th century, because of overfishing and the permanent stabilization of the
Ocean City Inlet, the shellfish population greatly decreased and has not yet recovered. Now a new problem is
threatening the bay's ecosystem, as recent water quality monitoring data shows changes in the water quality index,
indicating significantly degrading trends.
Beginning around 2002, water monitoring stations throughout bay began to show a large increase in nitrogen and
especially phosphorous. From 2005 to 2007, the Chincoteague Bay subsequently lost about half of its 13,000 acres
of seagrass, which had taken some 70 years to recover from a 1930s blight. Of the water-monitoring stations in the
bay, 94 percent now report worsening water quality.
Full story and source : http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080818/OPINION01/808180325/-1/newsfront2
Tampa Bay Watch volunteers monitor bay scallops (Seminole, FL, USA)
14 August 2008, Tampa Bay Newspapers
Tierra Verde ­ Join 180-plus community volunteers on Saturday, Aug. 16, to snorkel through the shallow seagrass
beds of Lower Tampa Bay to document the return of the elusive scallop. All indicators point to a phenomenal year for
scallops in Tampa Bay as a result of 25 years of water quality improvements and habitat restoration efforts in our
region.
Since early 1960's scallop populations have been sadly missing from the bay due to poor water quality and loss of
seagrass habitat. As conditions in Tampa Bay improve scallops have made a tentative comeback. Tampa Bay Watch
and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program have coordinated community volunteers through the Great Bay Scallop Search
to help document the number of scallops in Lower Tampa Bay which helps to document the health of the Tampa Bay
estuary.
www.seagrasswatch.org
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Results have ranged from zero counts in the past to an all time high of 555 individual scallops found last year. Early
indications are that scallop numbers continue to grow this year and are spread out over a greater area of the Bay,
leading bay managers to believe that the 2008 Great Bay Scallop Search will be our best ever in Tampa Bay.
Full story and source : http://www.tbnweekly.com/editorial/outdoors/content_articles/081408_out-04.txt
Call for Articles: Seagrass-Watch News Issue 34
We are now calling for articles for Issue 34 on the status and progress of Seagrass-Watch and Seagrass
activities/research in your area.
Articles are generally 200-250 words long and we would like to include any photos if available. Articles of greater
length are accepted, but please let us know ASAP so we can plan the layout.
Photographs are to be sent as separate files and not embedded in documents, as photos and images cannot be
satisfactorily extracted from word processor documents or pdfs. Graphics files should be in widely readable format,
such as jpg, and preferably 300 pixels per inch (lower resolution images will be accepted if preferred resolution is not
possible).
Closing date for articles for the issue is 15 September 2008. If you could send articles sooner would be much
appreciated. If you plan to submit an article, please send us a confirmation email ASAP so we can allocate space in
the document layout. Contact hq@seagrasswatch.org
FROM HQ
Frequently Asked Questions http://www.seagrasswatch.org/faq.html
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 33 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/newsletters.html
Seagrass-Watch Shop http://www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html
Virtual Herbarium http://www.seagrasswatch.org/herbarium.html
Giveaways http:/ www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html#GIVE1
·
Seagrasses of Australia
·
Phytoplankton Guide
· Bookmarks
· Stickers
·
Seagrass-Watch Newsletter 28, 30, 31, 32, 33 (hardcopy)
Future sampling dates http://www.seagrasswatch.org/sampling.html
Handy Seagrass Links http://www.seagrasswatch.org/links.html
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News articles posted as a free community service for the purposes of non-commercial education, research and study; review and the reporting of news; and archived for reference of students and researchers as a 'fair dealing' activity
under Australian Copyright Law.

Seagrass-Watch HQ does not guarantee, and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained in this bulletin. Seagrass-Watch HQ
recommends that readers exercise their own skill and care with respect to their use of the information in this bulletin and that readers careful y evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the material in the bul etin for
their purposes. This bul etin is not a substitute for independent professional advice and users should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. The material in this bulletin may include the views or
recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of Seagrass-Watch HQ (or those of the Queensland Government) or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action.

Seagrass-Watch HQ is supported by the Australian Government's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) represented in North Queensland by the Reef and
Rainforest Research Centre, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries and by private donations.

Seagrass-Watch E- Bulletin is compiled by Len McKenzie & Rudi Yoshida.

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