SEA & SHORELINE AND THE FISH & WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF FLORIDA PARTNER TO PLANT SEAGRASS IN THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON TRIBUTARIES

Submerged plants will help to improve water quality and provide food for starving manatees.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla., Nov. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, aquatic restoration experts Sea & Shoreline and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida began a series of restoration projects in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) tributaries to restore meadows of seagrass and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) that have disappeared due to harmful algal blooms. The projects will help to improve water quality and provide a sustainable food source for starving manatees who are dependent upon this vegetation for survival.

The restoration, which is being funded by the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Sea & Shoreline, involves planting, caging, maintaining and monitoring seagrass and SAV plantings in Goat Creek, Turkey Creek, Taylor Creek, Crane Creek, the Sebastian River and the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has permitted and is overseeing the projects.

Today, Sea & Shoreline will begin planting Goat Creek and Turkey Creek in Brevard County and will plant the additional locations next spring.

"These tributaries feed the IRL, so they play an important role in helping to restore the IRL to a healthy, sustainable ecosystem," said Sea & Shoreline's Lead Biologist Ryan Brushwood.

As part of its Seagrass Saves Sea Life campaign, Sea & Shoreline has planted over 1 million submerged plants in Florida to help improve Florida's waterways and has completed over 150 restoration projects in locations such as Crystal River, the Caloosahatchee River, Blue Springs State Park, St. Andrew Bay, the IRL and more.  The company currently has two demonstration projects in the IRL in the Fort Pierce Inlet State Park and the Banana River. Both projects were funded by the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.

The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida is undertaking critical work to protect the Florida manatee and its habitat following two seasons of record-breaking manatee mortalities in the state. "We are excited to partner with Sea & Shoreline and are thankful for our donors who have made these projects possible," said Andrew Walker, President & CEO of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.

Sea & Shoreline, LLC is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that restores fresh and saltwater habitats to healthy and self-sustaining ecosystems. Services include seagrass, oyster reef, coral reef, and propeller scar restorations, dredging, living shorelines, artificial reefs, vegetated retaining walls, wetland plantings, and berm, bank, and shoreline stabilizations. For more information, please visit seaandshoreline.com, or follow us on social media LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other public and private partners to conserve Florida's native animals and plants and the lands and waters they need to survive. Operating as a statewide community foundation for conservation, the Foundation has raised and donated more than $60 million to conserve nature and our outdoor heritage. More information can be found at wildlifeflorida.org.

SOURCE Sea & Shoreline, LLC