"St. Andrews Bay is one of the most highly diverse estuaries in America, with over 2,900 species. On any given day, you can find almost anything in the clear waters of St. Andrews Bay. It is also one of the most fragile coastal estuaries that needs our continued protection."

Mike Brim, Executive Director
St. Andrews Bay Environmental Science Team

Key Accomplishment

• A partnership of many organizations including the Florida Park Service, Florida Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, St. Andrews Bay Resource Management Association, Bay Environmental Study Team, and Bay County have decided to address the damage of prop scarring to sea grasses by installing educational type signs around sea grass beds at the 3 ft. water level contour line. These signs will warn boaters of shallow water, and the presence of seagrass beds. Installation of signs will correspond with an educational campaign to keep boaters from entering shallow water where sea grass grows.

Location:

Bay County

Acreage

25,000 acres of sovereign submerged lands

Contact:

Shelley Alexander
Aquatic Preserve Manager
1600 Garcon Point Road
Milton, FL 32583
850-983-5359

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Further information about St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve

St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve Management Plan

Shell Island off of Alligator Point

Osprey

Rock jetties help protect the beach.

Campground in the sand dunes

• St. Andrews Bay has the largest expanse of seagrass beds in the Florida panhandle and the adjacent Gulf waters have long been recognized as an exceptional water resource.
• Relatively clear water is one of the characteristic features of St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve. Several factors contribute to the bay’s clarity, such as its spring-fed tributaries, low amounts of silty clay in the local soils and the filtering effect of the marshes and seagrasses.
• The rock jetties at the entrance to the bay are inhabited by a myriad of tropical species of fish and invertebrates.Semi-tropical fish species such as cocoa damsels, angelfishes, parrotfishes, spadefishes, and butterfly fishes are frequently observed during the warmer months of summer.
• The sea grass beds that are dominant on the back of Shell Island within the preserve have a diverse assemblage of fish populations including mullet, pinfish, needlefish, mojarra, seahorses, pipefish, blennies and gobies.