Tampa Bay has gained more than 1,200 acres of seagrass since the El Nino event of 1997-1998, according to newly released data from Southwest Florida Water Management District scientists working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

Overall, the amount of grasses increased by 5 percent baywide with substantial gains in specific segments such as Hillsborough Bay, where mapping and analysis shows 288 new acres of seagrass, or a 150 percent increase. However, the numbers released this week indicate the bay has still not fully rebounded from the El Nino rainfall of 1997-98, and scientists say the current El Nino event could further delay recovery.

The El Nino of 1997-98 dumped record rainfall and its associated nutrient-laden runoff on the bay, and is believed to be the major culprit in the loss of some 2,000 acres of seagrass baywide from 1996-1999. Although seagrasses can withstand a broad range of salinities, the El Nino event transformed parts of Tampa Bay and other estuaries into virtual freshwater pools for an extended period.

The new data released this week show that 1,237 acres of those grasses have come back , but another 640 acres the equivalent of one square mile have not. Still, scientists are generally pleased that so many seagrasses have returned in such a short period.

Seagrasses are the nurseries of the bay, sheltering and supporting an amazing variety of juvenile fish and other marine creatures. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program has set a goal of restoring 12,000 acres of seagrasses baywide.