Contact

Sharon Tyson - Sharon.Tyson@dep.state.fl.us
3783 North Indian River Drive
Cocoa, FL 32926
(321)634-6148
Office Hours, M-F 8-5

Description of Site

The East Coast Florida Aquatic Preserves Office is responsible for the Indian River Lagoon (Malabar to Vero Beach), Banana River, and Mosquito Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a 156-mile long estuary that spans from Ponce de Leon inlet in the north to Jupiter Inlet in the south. Located on Florida’s east-central coast, the IRL is America’s most diverse estuary. There are over 400 species of fish, 260 species of mollusks and 479 species of shrimp and crabs. The Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve overlaps temperate and the subtropical zones creating a highly diverse system. Because of this diversity, it was included in the EPA’s National Estuary Program.

Established

The Banana River Aquatic Preserve was established June 3, 1970 by the Governor and Cabinet by resolution. In 1975, the Florida Legislature established The Florida Aquatic Preserve Act as codified in Chapter 258, F.S. The Aquatic Preserves are administered under Chapters 18-20 and 18-21, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

The Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve was established on October 21, 1969 by the Governor and Cabinet by resolution. In 1975, the Florida Legislature established The Florida Aquatic Preserve Act as codified in Chapter 258, F.S. The Aquatic Preserves are administered under Chapters 18-20 and 18-21, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve was established in 1970 by the Governor and Cabinet by resolution. In 1975, the Florida Legislature established The Florida Aquatic Preserve Act as codified in Chapter 258, F.S. The Aquatic Preserves are administered under Chapters 18-20 and 18-21, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Location

Size

The surface water area of the Banana River Aquatic Preserve is approximately 46.4 square miles or 29,899 acres.

The surface water area of the Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve is approximately 43.4 square miles or 27,966 acres.

When the preserve was first dedicated in 1970 it totaled approximately 36000 acres. Between the years 1962 and 1986, various state-owned submerged lands and uplands were dedicated, conveyed or sold to the U.S. Government. The present surface water area of the preserve is approximately 3500 acres.

Watershed

The USGS watershed designation is the Indian River Lagoon.

Habitat

The Indian River estuary is long, narrow, shallow estuary that is bordered on the east by a barrier island and on the west by the mainland. The major community types are mangrove dominated marshes or swamps, salt marshes, marine grass beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats, deep-water areas, and spoil islands. There are several community types that border the aquatic preserve: coastal strand, secondary dunes, floodplain forest, hydric hammock and urban areas. During the 1950’s and 1960’s most marshes were impounded for mosquito control purposes. Impounded marshes restrict tidal movement making them very susceptible to human impacts. Pollutants that enter this water body often remain there for extended periods of time without the aid of proper flushing.

Ecological Importance

The Indian River Lagoon generates over $800 million in revenue annually to the local economy. The reconnected mangrove marshes and seagrass beds act as nursery grounds to recreationally and commercially important species, such as snook, grouper, snapper, seatrout, tarpon, and lobster. These are just a few of the many species that spend a portion of their life cycle in the lagoon.

The Indian River Lagoon is a wintering home to many species of migratory waterfowl.

Rare / Endangered Species

State listings are taken from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or, as with plants Florida Department of Agriculture. Federal listings are taken from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. E= Endangered; T= Threatened; T (s/a)= Threatened due to similarity in appearance; SSC= Species of Special Concern; UR= Under review; n/a= information not available or no designation listed; C=Commercially exploited

Geomorphic Features

Indian River Lagoon, Sebastian Inlet, Sebastian River

There are 55 spoil islands located throughout the lagoon. These islands are remnants of dredging the Intercoastal Waterway in the 50’s.

Archaeological Features

The Ais Indians occupied the shores of the Indian River Lagoon for several thousand years before the first Europeans arrived. They depended on the lagoon for transportation and for food. They left behind many burial mounds and trash mizzens. While many of these mizzens were used as fill material for roads earlier this century, some were studied extensively.

Uses

Recreational:

Recreational uses include, but are not limited to, fishing, claming, swimming, boating, and nature appreciation.

Commercial:

Commercial uses include fishing, aquaculture, commercial marinas, and ecotourism.

Education:

Educational uses include field trips conducted by staff and volunteers.

Research:

Research in lagoon is greatly varied. Ongoing research focuses primarily on seagrass health and ecological functions.

Adjacent Land Use:

Adjacent land uses include urban areas, mosquito impoundments, and publicly owned conservation lands.

Management Status

The Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas is the lead management agency. The Governor and Cabinet, acting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, approved the management plan on January 21, 1986.

Major management issues currently being addressed are stormwater inputs from canals and other point sources, marsh reconnections, dredging, muck accumulations, spoil island enhancements, seagrass surveys/transects, and invasive exotic plant removals.

The continued improvement of the Indian River Aquatic Preserve will rely on controlling the freshwater inputs to the estuarine environment. The timing, quantity, and quality of the stormwater input will be of the utmost importance to restoring this estuary of national significance.

Spoil Island Management Plan

During dredging of the Intercoastal Waterway in the 1950’s, spoil was deposited on either side of the channel creating islands within the lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon Spoil Island Management Working Group was established to coordinate the management activities of various state and federal agencies as they pertain to these islands. Along with select user groups, the agencies goals are to implement the provisions of the Spoil Island Management Plan, aid in assessment of spoil islands, enhance the environmental quality of the islands, and provide enhanced public use management strategies. Based upon physical structure, ecological importance, and historical use, data was used to classify spoil islands into usage categories that include conservation, education, passive recreation or active recreation. The Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve contains 55 of the 137 spoil islands designated in the plan and contains a mix of all usage categories. Currently, selected islands are undergoing exotic plant removal, revegetation studies, and shoreline erosion control. These methods will not only aid in biological rehabilitation of the spoil islands, but also will increase public access to selected islands and thus increase public awareness.

For more information on spoil island management, including volunteer opportunities, please visit The Spoil Island Enhancement Project.

Mangrove Planting Technical Advisory Committee

The Mangrove Planting Technical Advisory Committee is a multi-agency task force exploring several options of establishing mangroves along eroding shorelines. The primary method is by PVC encasement.

References

Indian River (Malabar to Vero Beach) Aquatic Preserve Management Plan, Florida Department of Natural Resources. January 1986.

Indian River Lagoon Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan. South Florida Water Management District and the St. John’s River Water Management District. September 1994.

Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. November 1996.

Indian River Lagoon: Spoil Island Management Plan. Florida Department of Natural Resources. June 1990.

Wood, Don. Florida’s Endangered species, Threatened Species and species of Special Concern. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. April 1996.