http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jun/01/beaches-inundated-gobs-manatee-grass/
NAPLES — Some say it looks like white bean sprouts. Others call it chopped spaghetti.
Experts say the mounds of stringy stuff washing up on beaches from North Naples to Sarasota is actually a sea grass called manatee grass.
Though it is normal for manatee grass to build up on shorelines along the Gulf coast in the early summer months, beach-goers are seeing a greater density this year.
There are large beds of sea grass throughout the Gulf of Mexico. In the winter, much of the grass dies and floats to the surface. It drifts around, gets bleached by the sun, and, eventually, washes up on beaches, said Rick Bartleson, a research scientist for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Manatee grass is one of seven sea grasses that grow in waters around Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Web site. The grass provides food and habitat to many marine animals.
Bartleson said that unlike other sea grasses in Florida, manatee grass is cylindrical which is why it bunches together and floats around, instead of sinking like other types of dead grass. He’s not sure what caused the grass to wash up on the beach. Wind or current direction may have played a part, he said.
Penny Hall, a researcher at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said it is not unusual for large clusters of manatee grass to float to the surface after large storms.
“This particular type of grass is very buoyant and full of air,” Hall said “It is also very brittle, and frequently bunches of it get broken off during storms.”
Heavy offshore winds blew out of the east for part of the weekend.
Hall said it appears that most of the organic matter is gone from the grass, although she cannot be positive without looking at it under a microscope. Since the grass is long dead, there should not be any foul smells as it decomposes on the beach.
Collier County officials could not be reached for comment about whether the county will attempt to clean up the manatee grass. In the past, officials have been prohibited from raking beaches during sea turtle nesting season.