Estero Bay AP Starts Summer Seagrass Monitoring

Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve (EBAP) staff have begun summer season seagrass monitoring. The weather cooperated and the afternoon storms held off long enough for staff to complete two transects on each of two scheduled sampling days. 

Since 2002, EBAP staff have monitored five transects twice a year. During that period, they have collected data on seagrass species composition, abundance, epiphyte density (which is the amount of organisms such as algae growing directly on seagrass blades), blade lengths along as well as attached and drift algal abundances. 

This data is included on the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) WaterAtlas website. Since 2016, EBAP staff have also collected drift algae samples for lab identification and biomass determination.

Additionally, staff note any animals they find in or near their sampling locations. This time they found sea urchins, sea stars, lightning whelks, kings crown conch, fish and decorator crabs at the four transects. Seagrass habitats support a variety of organisms that call Estero Bay AP home.