Seagrass is one of the most productive natural communities in the world and is a principal contributor to the marine food web. Thousands of plants and animals live among the seagrass in a complex and fragile society. Sea turtles and manatees graze upon seagrass. Many types of shrimps, crabs, worms, snails, and small fish spend their entire lives within seagrass meadows. In fact,  marine recreational fish depend upon seagrass communities at some time in their lives. Larger fish and seabirds even visit seagrass meadows to eat these smaller animals.

Seagrass also improves water quality by stabilizing loose sediment and filtering some pollutants out of the water. Without seagrass, many areas would be a seascape of unstable shifting sand and mud.

Why is Seagrass important?

• Economically, millions of acres of seagrass supports both commercial and recreational fisheries that provide a wealth of benefits to the economy.

• Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) reported that in 2000, Florida’s seagrass communities supported commercial harvests of fish and shellfish valued at over 124 billion dollars. Adding the economic value of the nutrient cycling function of seagrasses, and the value of recreational fisheries to this number, FDEP has estimated that each acre of seagrass has an economic value of approximately $20,500 per year, which translates into a statewide economic benefit of 55.4 billion dollars annually.
• Provides protective nurseries for many endangered species
• Provides food sources for many endangered species
• Increases Water Quality
• Decreases sedimentation float that destroys coral reefs in nearby areas
• Reduces wave energy on the coastline