Abstract

GIS Analysis Used in the Hillsborough County Seagrass Management Plan
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Author(s): Eric Lesnett, Ed Sherwood, Jennifer Lana

Seagrasses are vital components of the shallow coastal waters of Florida and serve as critical habitat and food for a variety of marine life. Seagrasses also serve as sentinels for detection of various environmental disturbances. Aside from traditional impacts to this resource such as poor water quality attributable to anthropogenic activities, additional stressors to seagrass resources have been identified in Tampa Bay, FL. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County developed a local seagrass management plan to determine the historic and current extent of seagrass resources in the county and priority issues facing their future management. Various GIS analyses were performed to assess seagrass resources including: delineation of management zones, photo digitization and interpretation of seagrass scarring due to boats, temporal trends at monitored transects and locations, and achievable restoration acreages. Results were used to define specific management actions, such as establishing "pole and troll" seagrass protection zones.

Eric Lesnett
Environmental Protection Commission, Hillsborough County
3629 Queen Palm Drive
Tampa , Florida 33619
United States
Phone: 8136272600
E-mail: lesnett@epchc.org

Ed Sherwood
Tampa Bay Estuary Program
Tampa Bay Estuary Program
100 8th Avenue S.E.
St. Petersburg , Florida 33701
United States
Phone: 727-893-2765
E-mail: esherwood@tbep.org

Jennifer Lana
Environmental Protection Commission, Hillsborough County
3629 Queen Palm Drive
Tampa , Florida 33619
United States
Phone: 8136272600
Fax: 8136272650
E-mail: lanaj@epchc.org