More seagrass is growing more densely in the Indian River Lagoon, according to a new analysis of data collected by the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Aerial images of the lagoon system captured in 2025 show, since 2023, seagrass coverage grew by more than 7,000 hectares: an amount equivalent to more than 17,000 acres or about 13,000 football fields. Those findings are from the district’s aerial mapping survey of the lagoon, completed once every two years.
The district also collects more detailed data annually from specific sites within the lagoon, to complement the broader, system-wide picture.
Collectively, the data show seagrass in the lagoon is not just expanding but also growing in density, according to the district.
Seagrass, a key health indicator for the overall lagoon, provides critical habitat and feeding areas for a multitude of species. Many commercially important seafood, like crabs and shrimp, depend on seagrass. So do manatees.
A historic loss of seagrass triggered a manatee starvation event along Florida’s Atlantic coast between 2020 and 2022. More than 1,200 manatees died during that time period.
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The district’s analysis of data showing a positive trend in seagrass growth corroborates the latest annual lagoon health report published by the Marine Resources Council, a Brevard-based nonprofit focused on restoring the lagoon.
That health report for 2025 revealed “a year of general stability across the Indian River Lagoon,” although seagrass coverage varied greatly across the lagoon’s five sub-basins, or watersheds. The 2025 MRC report relied in part on the data available at that time from the district, which compared seagrass coverage in 2023 and 2021.
The district’s new analysis of 2025 data shows seagrass growth across the lagoon system. In a prepared written statement, Executive Director Mike Register said the results reflect “meaningful progress and years of coordinated effort to improve water quality across the lagoon.”
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As just one example of those efforts, the district cited a muck-dredging project advanced by Brevard County’s Save Our Indian River Lagoon program. The SOIRL program is funded by a half-cent sales tax approved by county voters 10 years ago.
In all, SOIRL has planned 403 projects to help clean up the delicate lagoon and reduce pollution flowing into it. The efforts range widely, from septic-to-sewer conversions to habitat restoration projects. To date, 228 lagoon restoration projects are either complete or currently underway.
Unless the lagoon tax is renewed, the county will stop collecting it after this year. In that scenario, SOIRL projects already funded by the tax would continue until all the funds are spent, but no additional SOIRL projects would move forward.
While the district’s new seagrass growth findings are encouraging, “continued investment in restoration and science-based management will be critical to sustaining this momentum,” Register said in the prepared statement.
In addition to its ecosystem benefits, seagrass can also be an effective buffer against flooding and storm surge. It also has the potential to store carbon and help offset the harmful emissions contributing to climate change, according to NOAA.
