Sharon Brim | Obituary | Bluefield Daily Telegraph bdtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bdtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Between late 2019 and early 2020, Tampa Bay saw an estimated decline of 5,411 acres of seagrass, according to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Scientists say pollution from runoff and wastewater leaks adds nutrients to the bay, fueling algae growth that hurts seagrass beds.
Seagrasses provide shelter and food to a diverse community of animals, from small invertebrates to large fish, crabs, turtles, marine mammals and birds.
Provisional results released earlier this month by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) show that Tampa Bay now harbors 35,240 acres of seagrass. That s a vast improvement from the 1990 s when a plan was established to boost recovery of this vital part of the ecosystem.