Contact

Kim Wren - Kim.Wren@dep.state.fl.us
350 Carroll Street
Eastpoint, FL 32328
(850) 670-4783 FAX: (850) 670-4324
Office hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Description of Site

The St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve is one of 41 such preserves in Florida. It was designated an aquatic preserve by the Governor and Cabinet for the primary purpose of preserving the biological resources in the bay and maintaining them in an essentially natural condition. Formed by a narrow spit of land extending out from Cape San Blas, St. Joseph Bay is the only embayed body of water in the eastern Gulf of Mexico not influenced by the inflow of fresh water. Sportfishing and recreational shellfish harvesting are important tourist attractions throughout the year.

Established

Established 1969
Florida Statutes Section 258, Florida Administrative Code Rule 18 - 20.002.

Location

County - Gulf
Nearby towns or cities - Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Indian Pass
Adjacent roads - U.S. Hwy. 98, C30, C30A, C30E

Size

73,000 acres

Watershed

Name of watershed - Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
Size of watershed - 19,600 square miles

Habitat

The St. Joseph Bay habitat includes extensive seagrass beds, expansive salt marshes, and nearshore coastal communities. St. Joseph Bay is host to one of the richest and most abundant concentrations of marine grasses along the north Florida coast. Five species of seagrass are found in the bay: Cuban shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme), turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima), and star grass (Halophila engelmanni), with turtle grass being the dominant species present. The dominant species in salt marshes of the bay are black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora).

Ecological Importance

Commercial, recreational, and ecologically important species:

Seagrass beds in St. Joseph Bay provide important habitat for such commercially and recreationally important marine species as the bay scallop, blue crabs, penaeid shrimp, mullet, spotted seatrout, flounder, and redfish.

Nursery area:

The seagrass beds and salt marshes of St. Joseph Bay serve as important nursery grounds and refuges for important commercial and recreational juvenile fish and invertebrate species.

Forage area:

The nutrient budget and food web of the bay are dependent upon the primary productivity of the bay itself. Seagrasses play an important role in the food web of St. Joseph Bay; not only do they cycle nutrients and serve as primary sources of detritus for the food chain, but they also provide a significant food source for many organisms.

The St. Joseph peninsula is also a major forage area for migratory birds, in particular for trans-gulf migrants in the fall and spring.

Migratory species:

The land area surrounding the aquatic preserve is an important stopover during the Gulf coast fall and spring migrations. St. Joseph Bay lies between the Mississippi and east coast flyways, and therefore receives birds from both the midwest and Atlantic seaboard which use the Gulf of Mexico and peninsular Florida during migration. In season, the Cape and peninsula are concentrated with thousands of migratory birds including warblers, vireos, tanagers, and grosbeaks. Hawk migration in the fall is particularly striking, for the St. Joseph peninsula draws hawks from much of the North American land mass.

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

Geomorphic Features

St. Joseph Bay is formed by a narrow spit of land extending out from Cape San Blas. The bay owes its existence to the Cape San Blas shoals and the historical migration of the Apalachicola River. Before sea level rise, these shoals are believed to have been a barrier island system.

Archaeological Features

The Division of Historical Records, Department of State, has identified nine archaeological sites in the immediate coastal area of St. Joseph Bay. They include four shell middens, three old house or settlement sites, the Confederate salt work, and the Cape San Blas lighthouse. Notable among the cultural sites is Richardson Hammock, a large, well preserved shell midden site representative of the Deptford, Swift Creek, Weeden Island, and Fort Walton cultural periods (ca. 500 B.C. to A.D. 1500). The site is known to contain human burials. The site is believed to be one of the largest and best preserved archaeological sites of its type in the northwest Florida Gulf coast region.

Uses

Recreational:

Recreational activities include: fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, camping, birding, the harvesting of bay scallops, and beach-oriented activities such as surf- fishing and sunbathing.

Commercial:

Species harvested commercially within the aquatic preserve include mullet, hardshell clams, blue crabs, and shrimp.

Educational:

At this time, the educational goals of the St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve are focused on public awareness and appreciation. Educational presentations and poster displays, along with the distribution of informational materials, are currently provided at local committee meetings, international symposia, state sponsored workshops, and regional festivals.

Research:

Projects research staff are currently involved in include monitoring of bay scallop larvae recruitment, sea turtle and St. Andrew beach mouse protection, listed shorebird species monitoring, monitoring of erosion and accretion on Cape San Blas, maintaining a buffer zone and patrolling Cape San Blas beach on a weekly basis, compilation of a computerized library system, and assisting with research concerning carrying capacity of seagrass community members during nutrient loading events.

Basic field sampling equipment, boats, and a fully equipped laboratory are also available to researchers and graduate students to help in their scientific efforts. Technical and additional logistical support is available for many projects, especially those dealing with priority issues that threaten the health of the St. Joseph Bay system.

Adjacent Land use:

The adjacent land uses for the area surrounding St. Joseph Bay include conservation, recreation, agriculture, industrial, incorporated, residential, mixed commercial / residential, and public.

Management Status

Designation:

The area has state designations as: Aquatic Preserve, Outstanding Florida Water, and Class II Shellfish Harvesting Waters.
Designated as an EPA Gulf of Mexico Ecological Management Site.

Manager / Ownership:

Although St. Joseph Bay has been designated an aquatic preserve since 1969, it has never had a full-time manager. At the present time, management of the St. Joseph Aquatic Preserve is accomplished by the manager of the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve, and for permit application reviews, by district staff in the Pensacola branch office.

Management issues, threats, and needs:

At the present time, motorized vehicular traffic is permitted, by county ordinance, below the natural vegetation line on the beaches adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico in Gulf County, including the aquatic preserve portion of Cape San Blas. Rapid erosion rates, combined with recent hurricane damage, has left areas of the beach extremely narrow. High tides and exposed tree stumps can force drivers up onto the dry sand area, damaging the foredunes, pioneer dune vegetation, and sea turtle nesting habitat. To reduce the adverse impacts to the natural resources on Cape San Blas, the Gulf County Sheriff’s Department, turtle patrol, and the Aquatic Preserve Manager continue to monitor the beach. Alternative options to beach driving are currently being investigated.

There are some concerns in regard to the impacts on seagrass beds by increased boating activities in St. Joseph Bay. Extensive operation of motors in shallow areas can lead to significant scarring of seagrass beds. Turtle grass beds are especially affected since this species does not spread its rhizome mat very rapidly. Propeller cuts can be persistent features, lasting three or more years. Potential means of dealing with this issue include restricting the use of power boats in certain shallow seagrass areas in the bay. Prior to addressing the issue, however, it is essential that better documentation be established regarding the extent and significance of damage to submerged vegetation.

Current DEP water quality and sediment monitoring stations are located in the vicinity of the St. Joseph ship channel and the city of Port St. Joe. Consequently, these stations do not monitor water quality in the productive southern end of the bay. The DEP’s Shellfish Environmental Assessment Section does test fecal coliform levels and basic water quality parameters over the entire bay. However, the need remains to monitor St. Joseph Bay water quality more closely.

References

Department of Environmental Protection. St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve Management Plan. 1997-2002. 120 pp.