The health of the Indian River Lagoon will be in the spotlight in Tallahassee this week.

Hundreds of animals have died this year, and lawmakers are trying to figure out what they can do to return the Indian River Lagoon back to its natural state.

Dead manatees, dolphins, pelicans and fish have been washing ashore along the Indian River Lagoon for months now.

Brown algae blooms are being blamed for not allowing sunlight to get through and killing sea grass on the riverbed.

State Senator Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, plans to propose action this week, when a special senate committee meets in Tallahassee.

“It’s a three-pronged attack," said Altman. "Getting the muck out of the lagoon, preventing the pollutants from getting into the lagoon and reestablishing the natural systems, like our natural filters, like oysters and clams.”

Altman says oysters and clams play a key role in purifying the lagoon. That’s why employees and volunteers at the Brevard Zoo make oyster mats that provide habitats for young oysters.

Altman says more needs to be done to make sure storm water runoff is clean and not full of nutrients. He plans to propose legislation to fund dredging of muck that helps produce these algae blooms.

Back in July the federal government declared the deaths of more than 50 bottlenose dolphins in the lagoon this year as an Unusual Mortality Event, which frees up federal dollars and resources to study and deal with the problem.