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1 1 (December 9, 1998)

handle is hein.crs/crsabdo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 98-975 ENR December 9, 1998 An Endangered Species Act Issue for Southeastern Florida: Johnson's Seagrass Eugene H. Buck Senior Analyst in Natural Resources Policy Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division Summary Johnson's seagrass, a small marine plant growing in shallow estuaries and coastal lagoons only along the southeastern Florida coast, has been listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the first marine plant so listed. The continued existence of this species appears to be most affected by water clarity and sediment disturbance (e.g., stormwater runoff, boating and personal watercraft activities, and siltation) as well as by hurricanes and storm surges. In addition, limited seed production by this species makes its recovery uncertain. State and local government officials, marine industries, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as private citizens are concerned that protection under the ESA could preclude, or increase expenses for, routine dredging projects and the expansion of three Florida ports. NMFS will seek to protect this species through ESA measures and address local concerns that species protection may interfere with maintenance dredging projects. This report will be updated as this issue evolves. Background Johnson's seagrass, Halophila johnsonii, is a very small (two-inch high) flowering marine plant with the most limited geographic distribution of about 60 species of seagrasses worldwide. It grows on a variety of sediment types ranging from mud to coarse sand discontinuously and patchily1 in estuaries and coastal lagoons along about 150 miles of the southeastern Florida coast from Sebastian Inlet to Virginia Key in north Biscayne Bay. Although it most frequently grows from the intertidal zone to about six feet below mean tidal height, Johnson's seagrass has been reported growing at depths greater than other seagrass species at 12 feet or deeper in very clear water on tidal deltas adjacent to inlets and in Hobe Sound. As an opportunistic species, Johnson's seagrass expands the total area covered by seagrasses through its ability to survive in environments where other 1Most patches are less than one square meter in size. Congressional Research Service Ae The Library of Congress CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web

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