Evaluating the Feasibility of Transplanting to Promote Seagrass Recovery in the Indian River Lagoon. Final Report for Contract No. 24676. Submitted to St. Johns River Water Management District.

Catastrophic loss of seagrass occurred in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, due to two consecutive years (2011-2012) of unprecedented phytoplankton “super blooms”. Shading resulted in widespread loss of seagrass, up to 100% at many sites in the northern IRL; lagoon-wide approximately 60% (47,000 acres) was lost. Two years later, some sites had begun to recover, but large areas of the Lagoon showed no recovery, despite seemingly adequate water quality for growth. This project evaluated whether the lack of seagrass recovery in IRL is due to the lack of available recruits, vegetative fragments (shoots, roots, and/or rhizomes), or if other environmental factors are limiting recovery. The evaluation method consisted of transplanting seagrass (shoal grass, Halodule wrightii) using tested techniques to determine whether seagrass can grow in areas previously covered by seagrass and deemed suitable, based primarily on recent water clarity, for seagrass survival and expansion.