What do healthy aquatic ecosystems need to survive?
- Clean growing medium (floor bottom)
- Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
- Sunlight
- Conducive water temperatures
- Correct salinity
- Balanced nutrients in the water column
When these aquatic ecosystems become unbalanced, they pose health risks to not only humans, but also to plants and animals that rely on the water to live. Unhealthy or “dead” aquatic ecosystems contain little to no life.
How does an aquatic ecosystem become unhealthy?
Most aquatic ecosystems are compromised as the result of human intervention. Rainwater runoff from lawn fertilizers, pesticides, sewer systems, agriculture, industrial waste, and carbon emissions upset the delicate balance of these ecosystems.
How do you know if an aquatic ecosystem is unhealthy?
Excessive weed or algae growth
Caused by unwanted nuisance plants that increase nutrients (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen) in the water. Excessive nutrients increase the production of algae blooms which then deplete oxygen in the water column needed by subaquatic vegetation, fish, and animals to survive.
Murky water
Caused by increased algae in the water which causes high turbidity or suspension of particles in the water making it cloudy or murky.
Muck
Caused by an accumulation of organic debris that settles to the bottom. Most commonly, this sludge is a mixture of leaves, fish waste, decaying plant debris, dead algae, or debris washed into the water by rain runoff from agriculture, lawn fertilizer, industrial waste, septic tanks, etc.
Bad odor
Caused by the muck which contains methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases that make the water smell like rotten eggs.
Dead fish and animals
Caused by a depletion of oxygen in the water. Toxic algae, and runoff all rob water of its oxygen eventually suffocating fish and animals.
How does Sea & Shoreline make an aquatic ecosystem healthy again?
- We dredge/clean the bottom floor of the water body to remove muck caused by decaying plants, animals, algae, and runoff. We dredge to a suitable substrate that allows for the expansion of new plant growth.
- Plant seagrass shoots that stabilize the sediment, clean the water, and provide food and habitat for fish and animals
- Protect the shoots with our patented GrowSAV™ Herbivory Exclusion Devices to allow the plants to root, grow and expand
- Feed and maintain the seagrass plants to ensure healthy growth, and expansion
- Monitor each project to ensure that the water body remains a healthy and sustainable ecosystem
The results
- Beautiful cleaner, clearer water
- Increase in beneficial submerged aquatic vegetation that provides new habitat and food for fish and animals
- Reduction in harmful nutrient overloads and algae in the water column
- Significant increases in fish and animal populations
- Enhanced recreational and commercial fishing
- Enhanced long-term sustainability of the water body as a healthy ecosystem
- Increased sequestration of harmful carbon emissions that cause climate change
