"Alligator Harbor is one of the world's largest feeding grounds for the Kemp's ridley which is the rarest and most endangered of all marine turtles. The area's abundance of blue crabs, jellyfish, shellfish and sea grass provide an important food source for all sea turtles. The unspoiled waters and beaches are valuable breeding and nesting grounds for marine sea turtles. Alligator Harbor, in addition to being a valuable natural resource, is also archaeologically rich with several Miccosukee / Seminole Indian artifacts and burial mounds surrounding the harbor."

Bill Wargo, Coordinator, Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol

Key Accomplishments

• The aquatic preserve staff have established a successful partnership with the University of Florida’s Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Department, and participates in a monthly water quality and nutrient monitoring project. This ongoing project has created a long-term database that serves to document current water chemistry conditions, to be compared with future water conditions.
• Ongoing biological monitoring of valuable commercial and recreational fish and invertebrate species will supply habitat data that will identify areas that these important species utilize during critical life stages and will allow for better management practices in these areas.
• Staff have partnered with the Alligator Point Tax Payers Association, a network of active and concerned citizens, who are interested in protecting the natural ecological diversity and functions of the harbor. This group volunteers with beach clean up events, turtle patrol, water quality and bird surveys. The preserve staff provide the APTA newsletter with regular articles on the resources within and adjacent to the harbor and information on how citizens can stay involved in their environment.

Location:

Franklin County

Acreage

14,000 acres of sovereign submerged lands

Contact:

Kim Wren
Aquatic Preserve Manager
350 Carroll Street
East Point, FL 32328
850-670-4783

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Further information about Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve

Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve Management Plan

Pelicans resting on a dock

Alligator Harbor is a popular location for sailing and other boating activities

Horseshoe crabs mate in the protected waters of Alligator Harbor

Shorebirds feed along the edge of the harbor

• Established as the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve in 1969
• Alligator Harbor supports a variety of commercial and recreational species of fish and invertebrates.
• Valuable habitat includes seagrass meadows, salt marshes, oyster bars, and beaches.
• A major forage area for migratory birds, in particular for trans-gulf migrants in the fall and spring
• Clam aquaculture sites were established in 2002 and are producing a very valuable product for Florida's economy.
• Migratory species include piping plovers, semipalmated plovers, least terns, peregrine falcons and a variety of hawks.
• Local species include American oystercatchers, black skimmers, snowy plovers, royal terns and brown pelicans.