Fisheries

 Indian River Lagoon

  Indian River Lagoon is a 156 mile long estuary located on Florida's east coast.  Six counties border the Lagoon, which include Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and the northern end of Palm Beach county.  Water is exchanged through five inlets that include Ponce De Leon, Sebastian, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie and  the Jupiter inlet. Unlike true rivers (where the current is the main influence), it is the wind that mostly drives the circulation within the lagoon. The lagoon has three main bodies which include the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and the Indian River which contains a diversity of aquatic life.  There are over 2,000 plant species and 2,200 animal species that include approximately 700 species of fish and approximately 300 species of birds. There are also around 50 species of plants and animals that are on the endangered or threatened list that can be found in the Lagoon as well. ¹

Biscayne Bay

    The bay is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide. It is located on the southeast tip of Florida and geographically spread into three parts. The north bay separates Miami beach on its barrier island from Miami its mainland.  Central bay, which is the largest part, is separated from the Atlantic ocean by a series of shallow flats. South bay is separated from the Atlantic ocean by the northern most of the Florida keys and is connected to Florida bay by a series of channels and sounds lying between the mainland and the keys. Biscayne bay is also home to Biscayne national park in which the third largest coral reef in the world begins. The bay has over 500 species of fish, approximately 100 species of shrimp, crabs and lobsters as well as a large variety of birds.²

Flamingo/Everglades National Park

    Everglades National Park is approximately 1.5 million acres (2354sq. mi) in size and is located at the southernmost tip of Florida. It represents approximately 30% of the original area which use to extend from lake Okeechobee on the northern end before being designated a national park and a world heritage site in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman. The park has a large ecosystem that contains salt marshes, cypress swamps, coastal prairies, freshwater ponds, brackish rivers, bays and creeks, it is one the most beautiful places on earth. Located with in the park is whitewater bay, which has one of the most diversified fisheries anywhere that opens up to the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast and Florida bay in the south. Over 100 species of marine fish have been identified. The park also contains approximately 350 species of birds of which about 200 are migratory, over 40 species of mammals, more than 1000 species of plant life, approximately 50 species of reptiles and 30 species of freshwater fish native to the everglades.³ Just 2 hours south of Fort Lauderdale, Everglades National Park is unquestionably l Florida's last frontier.

Chokoloskee/Ten Thousand Islands

   Chokoloskee is at the heart of Ten Thousand Islands that sits on the northern boarder of Everglades National Park. Ten Thousand Islands was actually made a wildlife refuge in 1996 and is approximately 35,000 acres in size with it also being the largest mangrove estuary in North America. 10% of Florida's manatee population utilize the refuge and its adjacent waters and Loggerhead sea turtles use the beaches for nesting. The southern portion of the refuge is a mangrove estuary, which is composed of islands surrounded by open tidal waters. Uplands on the islands contain sea grapes, gumbo limbo, Jamaican dogwood and other tropical species. To the north are brackish and freshwater marshes, with small upland hammocks composed of gumbo limbos, live oaks and slash pine. Nearly 200 fish species have been documented in the waters, which are also home to several endangered species including the West Indian manatee, Snail Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Wood Stork, and the Atlantic loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. Also, nearly 200 species of migratory birds use the mangrove islands to protect them from storms, as feeding grounds, and to simply rest during their long migrations.⁴

Please remember that conservation is key to our planet. Let our children of the future enjoy what the parents of today enjoyed in there lifetime.

I^{nformation obtained from:}

^{1 Harbor branch marine institute. "www.indianriverlagoon.org" accessed  8/13/2007}

^{2 National Park Service  Biscayne National Park "www.nps.gov"  accessed 8/13/2007}                                                                 

^{3 National Park Service Everglades National Park "www.nps.gov" Accessed 8/13/2007}

^{4 National Wildlife service Ten Thousand Islands "www.fws.gov" Accessed 8/13/2007}