Seagrass

Key West commissioners postponed renewing a contract with the Colllege of the Florida Keys that linked cruise ships to increased turbidity in the island's shallow port.

The study looked at damaging turbidity, which can harm coral and seagrass, and found levels connected to cruise ships equal to hurricanes.

Scientists worry that the arrival of the weedier seagrass from the Indian Ocean could outcompete local grasses that fight hurricane storm surges, trap carbon, feed turtles and manatees and supply major seafood and fishing industries.

Hanisak, director of education and the marine ecosystems health program at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, died May 7.

The lawsuit would be the latest legal move intended to protect the threatened sea cows, whose numbers have been decimated in recent years.

"If we don't manage them properly, then those seagrasses will be less resilient, and we could potentially degrade a very, very valuable habitat," said Tom Frazer of USF.

Water quality and seagrass health play a big role in marine mammals’ survival anywhere in the state.

"Seagrass die-off has happened before in Florida in various estuaries at various times. Seagrass recovers. But this is the first time it's really been simultaneous in all five major estuaries in Florida," said Bill Kearney of the Sun Sentinel.

Acreage of underwater meadows have been in decline since 2016, raising concerns in an area with a lot floating on a healthy ecosystem.

The station's series on Black Mental Health won in two categories. WUSF collaborated on the project with The Florida Courier, The Weekly Challenger and RoyalTee Magazine.

One proposal would create a decade-long seagrass restoration plan after the state saw a dramatic rise in seagrass loss, tied to record manatee deaths.

The loss of seagrass has been blamed on a variety of factors, including heavy rains that wash nutrients into the bay.