Historical and current observations on macroalgae in the Hillsborough Bay Estuary

To improve the understanding of macroalgae dynamics it was recommended that long-term monitoring of the macroalgae in the bay be initiated. Subsequently, the City of Tampa initiated a Hillsborough Bay macroalgae monitoring program that since 1986 has been providing consistent monthly biomass and species composition information from five fixed transects. In addition to the transect monitoring, low level aerial observations are conducted on a near monthly schedule for estimations of bay-wide macroalgae and seagrass coverage. Results indicate that the annual bay-wide macroalgae coverage has decreased near steadily from about 300ha in the late 1980\u27s to less than 30ha since 1997