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Florida's Marine Environment

Artificial Reefs
Coral Reef
Manatees
Mangroves
Salt Marshes
Seagrasses
Sea Turtles
Shoreline Protection
Books on Florida's Marine Environment

Florida State Map

Estuary and Bay Communities
Estuaries (from a word meaning "boiling") are where rivers meet the sea. They are dynamic systems where waters are variably saltier and fresher. They constitute some of the most productive habitats in nature.

More than 70 percent of Florida's recreationally and commercially important fish and shellfish spend part of their lives in these sheltered and fertile waters. Estuaries can be called "the cradle of the ocean."

Estuarine communities include seagrass, oyster bars, salt marshes, mud and sand bottom, and algal growths. Such valuable shellfish as oysters, crabs, and peneid shrimp cannot grow without a certain amount of freshwater.

About 70 percent of Florida's population live in the coastal zone. therefore, the quality of water pouring into the estuaries is a major concern. shellfish are filter feeders, straining their food from the water around them. If incoming water is tainted by bacteria and viruses from human and animal wastes, pesticides or other pollutants, oysters and clams that look perfectly healthy may transmit diseases.

Seagrass communities start in the intertidal zone and, depending on water clarity, may grow profusely to depths in excess of 20 feet. They are food factories, swarming with pinfish and pigfish, which are excellent food for gamefish. Bizarre puffers, sea robins, spotted seatrout, and cowfish dodge about in the sheltering blades of turtle grass. Catfish work the lower layer of the water column, along with juvenile sea bass and lizardfish. Grouper and snapper even use seagrass as their nurseries.

Coral Reefs
Florida is the only place in the continental United States where living coral reefs can be observed. Of all the ocean's habitats, coral reefs are the most colorful. They are built by millions of tine animals (coral polyps) and plants (coralline algae). Their skeletons are made of calcium carbonate, the main component of limestone.

Hazards
Portuguese man-of-war; These jelly-like animals are commonly found in the Gulf Stream of the northern Atlantic Ocean. If stung, wash with salt water and remove any tentacles. Soak the area with a solution of 50 percent each of vinegar and water for about 30 minutes. Rinse the area and then re-soak, using alcohol in place of vinegar.

Sea Lice; Season: March to August.
What to do if you're stung: Strip down, shower, towel dry and change to dry, loose-fitting clothing. Showering with swimming clothes on irritates the sea lice and could cause them to sting. Fully wash swim clothes and dry in dryer; sea lice can survive in air-dried suits. Treatment: 1 percent hydrocortisone cream and oral antihistamines such as Benadryl. For severe cases, see a doctor. More on Sea Life from FAU

Oysters in Florida
In the early 1900's, the concept of oyster farming began with a state program by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture. To date, this organization has collected and planted more than 9.3 million bushels of shucked oyster shells from Cedar Key to Pensacola for commercial cultivation. The most productive area for oyster production is Apalachicola Bay which supplies 10 to 15 percent of the national total.

Some text on this page provided by The Florida Department of Environmental Protection.