Seagrass is in decline around Florida, including Tampa and Sarasota bays, and that’s proven deadly for manatees. Tom Ries is trying to do something about that.
Ries discussed his seagrass restoration efforts Tuesday on WMNF WaveMakers with Janet and Tom. Tampa Bay, which had seen an increase in sea grass for a decade, lost 4100 acres between 2020 and 2022. Sarasota Bay saw a 26 percent decline from 2016 to 2022. Seagrass is vital to marine life, particularly manatees. Our guest today is trying to save the manatees by restoring the seagrass that sustains them and other marine life.
Tom has decades of experience in restoring natural systems in Southwest Florida. In 2013 he received a National Wetlands Award in Conservation & Restoration from the Environmental Law Institute, in Washington DC. He helped restore Ulele springs in Tampa Heights, the city’s original drinking water source. And he’s worked on projects in Ruskin and beyond.
Ries is restoring seagrass in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and the Indian River Lagoon thanks to $5 million appropriated by the Legislature for a non-profit he started a decade ago, the Ecosphere Restoration Institute.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, about 800 manatees died statewide in 2022. That was above the 5-year average of 741, although, a tiny bright spot, lower than the 1,110 that died in 2021. And most of them starved to death because so much seagrass had disappeared.
The goal is to restore 100 acres of seagrass, a small amount compared to the thousands of acres destroyed by pollution and red tide but, Ries said, it’s a start. The work is being done on publicly owned property but Ries his non-profit also works on projects on private property, since 80 percent of submerged land is privately owned.
Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
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