Restoring the Indian River Lagoon’s Seagrass Meadows and Wetlands

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation is supporting a system-wide effort to restore Florida's Indian River Lagoon in partnership with the Indian River Lagoon Council . These projects are designed to deliver lasting ecological and economic benefits.

Restoring Seagrass Meadows, the Buffet Table of the Lagoon

Seagrass meadows once served as the foundation of the Indian River Lagoon's food web. Manatees and other herbivores graze on seagrass, while the plants shelter juvenile baitfish such as pinfish, mullet, and mud minnows. Those fish, in turn, support larger species including red drum, spotted seatrout, tarpon, and flounder. Seagrass also improves water quality by stabilizing sediment and preventing it from clouding the water.

Between 2011 and 2020, a series of severe algal blooms wiped out nearly 75 percent of the lagoon's seagrass.

"We've seen impacts to various species from losses of our seagrass, as well as decreases in habitats those seagrass beds create," said Melissa Meisenburg, lagoon resources manager for the Indian River County Natural Resources Department .

That is why Indian River County is actively participating in the largest seagrass restoration effort on Florida's east coast, including two sites funded by NOAA. In 2025, Natural Resources staff, along with their partners, have planted about 13 acres of seagrass at Big Slough near Sebastian Inlet and another 10 acres at Preacher's Hole near the Wabasso Causeway. The sites were chosen because they historically supported seagrass and are more sheltered than other parts of the lagoon.

"Planting seagrass is challenging because success hinges on many factors," said Meisenburg. "Because of the water depth at Big Slough, installation was easier, allowing us to be on our knees, reach down, and install the grass plugs. But at Preacher's Hole, the water was deeper, requiring a team to plant with one person at the surface holding the stock material while another person is submerged below the water planting the grasses."

To protect the young plants, crews installed steel cages over the seagrass. The cages deter boats from passing over the sites and protect the young grasses from the impacts of marine life such as stingrays.

"Stingrays love to fluff up the sand, which rips out the plants," Meisenburg said.

The cages also require regular maintenance. "Encrusting things like barnacles grow on them," she said. "That blocks light from reaching the grass, so people go out about once a month to clean them."

Permits allow the cages to remain in place for up to 1 year, long enough for the seagrass to anchor firmly in the sediment.

Despite the challenges, the County remains optimistic that their efforts at seagrass restoration will pay off.

"We're shooting for 80 percent survivorship of the outplanted grasses," Meisenburg said. "Aiding in this massive undertaking by Indian River County is the natural recovery of seagrasses that is being observed in the lagoon as well. We are seeing seagrass recovery in parts of the lagoon where it wasn't present 2 years ago, and we're hoping our efforts help enhance that natural recovery."

Letting Wetlands Work Again

Wetlands play an outsized role in maintaining the health of the Indian River Lagoon and protecting coastal communities. They filter out pollutants that reduce water quality and trigger harmful algal blooms.

"Wetlands are the kidneys of our estuaries," said Indian River Lagoon Council Executive Director Duane De Freese. "As wetlands filter the water that leaves the land for the lagoon, they hold back excess nutrients and sediments."

Wetlands are also habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife. Studies estimate that healthy wetlands can produce about 50 pounds of live fish per acre annually. In addition, wetlands protect communities from flooding by reducing wave and storm surge impacts.

In the Indian River Lagoon, large areas of coastal wetlands were converted into mosquito control impoundments, with miles of dike separating the wetlands from the lagoon. These barriers disrupted natural water flow and limited the movement of fish and other species.

With funding from NOAA, the St. Johns River Water Management District reconnected about 2,000 acres of wetlands within the Kennedy Space Center-Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge complex.

"By cutting down the dikes and filling in the ditches, we bring the land back to wetland elevation," said Ron Brockmeyer, coastal wetland program manager for St. Johns River Water Management District. "After you scrape the dikes down, there is a much wider footprint for wetlands to grow. Within a few months, you start getting vegetative recovery."

Restoring natural water flow allows wetlands to resume their ecological role. Nutrients are filtered before reaching the lagoon, and fish regain access to nursery and foraging habitat.

This project stands out for its cost savings and the economic value of the restored wetlands. Advances in technology allowed the construction contractors to restore wetlands at a fraction of the anticipated cost.

When restoring mosquito impoundments, dikes must be lowered to a precise elevation to restore ecosystem functions. In the past, contractors had to repeatedly stop work to check the elevation with a laser level. However, operators can now use GPS-guided instrumentation to maintain precise grades over miles of dike.

Originally, Brockmeyer estimated the project would cost about $20 per linear foot of dike removed. With the new technology, however, the costs dropped to about $6 per linear foot of dike.

"With the leftover money from the original budget, I'm working with the Refuge and NASA to restore six more impoundments," said Brockmeyer.

Economic analysis estimates that the reconnected wetlands will provide about $78,000 per acre per year in environmental benefits. Wetlands support fisheries by providing fish habitat, improve water quality through filtration, and protect homes and infrastructure from flooding.

Overall, the project is expected to have a cost-benefit ratio of nearly 60 to 1.