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Bay PRP 2014-042 Proposal Summary Restore St. Andrew Bay submerged grass beds that have been damaged by prop scarring: Planting sea grass plugs and/or tubes; and Posting the area with shoal grass bed warning signs using floating buoys and/or fixed signage Project area is located in St. Andrew Bay on the Bay side of Shell Island, east of the shipping channel ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Project Area ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Sea Grasses Are Essential Significant functions of sea grasses include: • Maintain water clarity • Stabilize the bottom • Provide habitat for many fishes, crustaceans and shellfish • Sea grasses and the organisms that grow in them are food for many marine animals ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Sea Grasses Are Essential Most importantly: • Sea grasses are nursery areas for much of Florida’s recreationally and commercially important marine life (Above and previous slide from our Exhibit 1 “The Underwater World of Florida’s SEAGRASSES” ) ---PAGE BREAK--- The Fish Nursery Juvenile Groupers and Snappers ---PAGE BREAK--- Gag settle and undergo metamorphosis in sea grass beds ---PAGE BREAK--- Lane Snapper Gray Snapper ---PAGE BREAK--- Flounders ---PAGE BREAK--- Sea Trout ---PAGE BREAK--- Invertebrates ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Floating Buoys ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Sea Grass Losses Sea grasses are a very important part of the St. Andrew Bay marine environment, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Degrading water quality, development activities as well as prop scarring impacts are responsible for their decline. ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay PRP 2014-042 Conclusion This proposal to restore and repair existing prop-scarred damage to the submerged grass beds will go a long way in maintaining the sensitive marine ecosystem that is so vital to Bay County.