FWC shares update on Lake George habitat restoration

In 2020, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) began restoring fish and wildlife habitat on Lake George in Volusia and Putnam counties. Biologists planted eelgrass, a native freshwater aquatic plant and installed temporary fenced enclosures to help protect the plantings. Today, the FWC continues the plantings and encourages boaters to use caution when navigating the shorelines of Lake George where fenced enclosures can be found.

Lake George historically supported thousands of acres of native submerged plants that provided essential habitat for a wide range of fish and wildlife, including manatees. Following Hurricane Irma, this submerged vegetation largely disappeared and has not naturally recovered, partly due to heavy grazing pressure.

To restore critical lake bottom habitat, the FWC revegetated over 90 acres, equivalent to 1 million eelgrass plants, during the spring and summer of 2025. Temporary fenced enclosures were installed to exclude herbivores from grazing on recovering vegetation. A large portion of the eelgrass planted in 2025 survived and is thriving. Restoration efforts will continue into 2026, with additional fenced enclosures recently constructed and another 1 million eelgrass plants currently being installed in Lake George.

In total, 41 different fenced enclosures exist around Lake George's shoreline and cover over 155 acres. These planted areas will provide many ecological benefits and are important to the continued restoration of Lake George and the St. Johns River. An established eelgrass bed will provide food, habitat and breeding grounds for native fish and wildlife, improve fishing opportunities for anglers and enhance water quality.

The FWC suggests boaters refer to the included map of fence locations when navigating the shorelines of Lake George. These fenced enclosures have reflective tape at the top of the poles to aid in nighttime navigation, as well as signage installed at each location to inform boaters of their presence. The enclosures are permitted by federal and state agencies.

Funding for this project is provided by state-appropriated funds and private donations through the Fish & Wildlife of Florida.

The FWC plants thousands of native submerged aquatic vegetation plants every year to restore, enhance and maintain aquatic habitat throughout the state of Florida. Learn more about the restoration of Lake George by visiting MyFWC.com/WildlifeHabitats and selecting "Habitat," then "Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Restoration" under Habitat Management Programs or email [email protected].