Problem

The USGS National Wetlands Research

Center has documented that seagrasses in

the northern Gulf of Mexico constitute an

ecosystem in trouble. From studies in St.

Andrews Bay, Perdido Bay, the

Chandeleur Islands, and the Gulf Islands

National Seashore, scientists have discovered that declining seagrass acreage ranges

from 12% to 66% in bays and estuaries of

the Gulf of Mexico. Not only are

seagrasses disappearing, but they are also

changing in species composition, densities, and patchiness.

Causes

The causes of loss and changes of these

seagrasses are many, complex, and not

completely understood. Moreover, the

signs or indicators of stress among the

seagrass meadows, beds, and patches are

not consistently and regionally monitored

so that solutions can be found.

Value

Seagrasses provide habitat and forage

for waterfowl, fish, and shellfish; buffering

against storms; and improved water

quality.

Solution

The FY1999 Department of the Interior

budget includes $450,000 for the USGS

National Wetlands Research Center to

comprehensively study the seagrass

ecosystems of the northern Gulf of

Mexico.

Research

The Center will

 Collect baseline data for monitoring

Gulf of Mexico seagrasses through the

Gap Analysis Program (GAP).

 Establish randomly selected sample

sites and collect natural color aerial

photography of them at a scale of

1:24,000 for monitoring changes.

 Determine the complete extent of

seagrasses in the northern gulf by

adding the distribution of Texas

seagrasses.

 Develop a geographic information

system to include environmental

Seagrasses in Northern Gulf of Mexico:

An Ecosystem in Trouble

Area of proposed seagrass research by the USGS National Wetlands Research Center.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS FS-017-00

June 2000

For more information, contact:

U.S. Geological Survey/National Wetlands Research Center,

700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506; 337-266-8500;

Fax: 337-266-8513; http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov
information associated with seagrasses

such as oyster beds, bottom sediment

types, water quality sampling points,

public management areas, navigation

channels, and bathymetry.

 Develop a prototype Estuarine Aquatic

GAP to evaluate condition and trends

of this important habitat type.

Where

The Center will conduct research along

the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico,

from Cape Romano, Florida, to

Brownsville, Texas.

Information Users

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 Minerals Management Service

 U.S. Environmental Protection

Agencys Gulf of Mexico Program

 U.S. Environmental Protection

Agencys E-Map Program

 National Marine Fisheries Service

 National Estuarine Programs of

Mobile, Galveston, Corpus Christi, and

Sarasota Bays

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

 National Park Service

 Florida Department of Environmental

Protection

 Florida Aquatic Reserve Program

 Alabama Department of Economical

Community Affairs

 Mississippi Department of Marine

Resources

 Louisiana Department of Natural

Resources

 Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

 Texas General Land Office

 Texas Department of Parks and

Wildlife

 Universities

 Private entities