The District recently completed the next phase of the Hunters Cove Restoration Project in Citrus County.
Lush mats of eelgrass were transferred to Hunters Cove and placed on the bottom of the cove in sections, similar to planting sod on land. The District had been growing the mats of eelgrass in ponds at the Duke Energy Mariculture Center in Crystal River.
The mats were recently rolled up and transported to the cove, where a dive team carefully placed the eelgrass.
The project is part of the community effort to restore Kings Bay by restoring eelgrass in Hunters Cove, a 10-acre area surrounding Hunters Springs. Eelgrass, once abundant in Kings Bay, is a native aquatic plant critical to improving water quality and sustaining beneficial fish and wildlife habitat. Lyngbya, a fast-growing algae, has taken over much of Hunters Cove, making it nearly impossible for eelgrass to reestablish on its own. Part of this project is the physical removal of Lyngbya and other invasive species from the bottom of the cove.
This eelgrass variety, cultivated by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), is extremely hardy, which has earned it the nickname “Rock Star” eelgrass.
Specially designed fences were installed around the mats in three areas to prevent manatees from grazing on the grass before it is established. Once established, the eelgrass will provide a food source for manatees and help improve habitat and water quality in Kings Bay.
The District’s Springs Team will now monitor and maintain the fenced eelgrass for the next 18 months until it is established. If this pilot project is successful, there may be additional plantings in other areas of Kings Bay as well as in other spring systems.