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insights Seagrass Damage Assessment (US Project Stories)

Hi, my name is David Loy, I'm a Technical Manager/Senior Scientist and have been with Atkins 11 years.            

A project I would like to highlight is the Seagrass Damage Assessment and Restoration Planning/Implementation in NW Florida. Atkins Sciences lead this project with the Atkins coastal group assisting. Subs were Research and Planning, Inc. (RPI) and Loftis Marine.

As part of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Early Restoration Program (ERP), Atkins worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserve staff to complete a multi-phase project to assess, map, quantify sediment loss, and to develop/implement a restoration strategy to restore two (2) acres of significant propeller scar damage located primarily in Turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) habitats throughout the three (3) Aquatic Preserves (AP) (St. Joseph Bay, Alligator Harbor, and St. Andrews).

The project lasted from 2018 – 2021 and was located in Port. St. Joe, Florida. The purpose was to restore significant propeller scar damage in St. Joseph Bay AP. 

Port St. Joe is a small coastal town that has a thriving recreational fishing industry that relies heavily on the quality of their bay, as well as continued health of their seagrass beds. Propeller scarring is causing fragmentation of the existing beds and damage to the overall resource. The Seagrass Damage Assessment and Restoration Planning/Implementation project contributed to a positive impact for the community.  

My personal highlights was the opportunity to participate in environmental stewardship and provide ecological and potentially economic benefit to a small coastal town.