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Manatee seagrass washes ashore on area beaches

Jace Tunnell, Director of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, said the sea grass is harmless if beachgoers happen to step on it.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There is something washing up along the Padre Island and Mustang Island Coastline this Labor Day weekend that had some people watching where they step.

Beachgoers say the substance looked like small white pieces that appeared to be debris or even shredded plastic.

However, the substance is actually beneficial to the environment. According to Jace Tunnell, Director of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, the manatee sea grass acts as a fertilizer for the dunes.

"Looks different than its original self which would be long green strands," Tunnell said. "Its broken up, almost uniform looking white pieces of sea grass that have dried out and bleached out by the sun. A good thing we are finding these out there."

Tunnel added that the sea grass is harmless if beachgoers happen to step on it.

#Beachcombing - Manatee Seagrass on the Beach

We were getting calls about something that looked like shredded plastic on the beach, so we decided to investigate. Not to worry! This is manatee seagrass from the bays, and it is actually good to be on the beach. Listen to this episode of #Beachcombing to learn more.

Posted by Amos Rehabilitation Keep - ARK at UT Marine Science Institute on Friday, August 19, 2022

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