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Aquatic Preserves

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve

NEWS     |     RESOURCES     |     CALENDAR

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve is an estuary with Outstanding Florida Waterbody designation, which provides additional protection for water quality. It is designated as Class II, conditional for shellfish harvesting.

Public Access

Access Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve through the Sarasota and Charlotte counties' parks and boat ramps, state parks or by boat/kayak.  

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve is a shallow estuary that consists of critical seagrass and oyster habitats, along with mangrove islands that serve as bird rookery habitat. Boaters should be aware of these shallow habitats while operating and take caution not to create prop scar damage.

Water depth can be limited outside of marked channels and, for most of the waterbody, it is slow speed outside of the Intercoastal Waterway. Be aware of the boating rules and use of a boater’s guide and navigational chart are recommended.

Some of the mangrove islands also serve as nesting islands for wading and diving birds. Please respect the wildlife and keep your distance to prevent disturbance.

Be mindful of where and how you cast, and discard of fishing line properly. If your line becomes entangled, try to carefully remove and collect it before cutting the line. Abandoned and improperly disposed of fishing line poses a danger for birds and other marine life, which can become entangled and suffer.  

Leave no litter and take only pictures.

History

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve was established in July 1986 and is managed as part of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves system. Lemon Bay has a rich history of Native American utilization and European villages and shipwrecks. Human activities, including ditching for mosquito control, filling for development and drainage alterations, have significantly modified the natural topography and drainage patterns in the areas surrounding Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve. Today, residents and visitors enjoy fishing, kayaking, birding, wading and beachcombing.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer Opportunities 

Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves has volunteer opportunities with their Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network monthly water quality program. Sampling sites are located throughout Lemon Bay and the rest of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve estuaries. For more information visit DEP's Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network webpage.

Other volunteer opportunities are seasonal and program specific, please email Charlotte.Harbor@FloridaDEP.gov.

The Friends of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves is a nonprofit citizen support organization to support the protection, conservation, restoration, management, responsible public use and the enhancement of the resources of the coastal and aquatic ecosystems within Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves. You can support this important work by donating, by becoming a member, becoming a volunteer and by joining the Board. 

Events

  • International Coastal Cleanup is hosted by Keep Charlotte Beautiful.
  • Charlotte County Boat Show.

Educational Opportunities

Local ecotour and charter boat businesses provide boat tours and fishing. Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center at Cedar Point offers seagrass wading trips in Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve. Preserve staff provide educational materials, scientific data and outreach presentations upon request.

Scientific Information

Human activity within the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves complex, and Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, dates back to the Archaic period. There are hundreds of historic or archaeological sites recorded in the Florida Master Site File within or immediately adjacent to Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves. These historic sites include Native American and European encampments, villages and shipwrecks, along with prehistoric shell kitchen middens.

While there are many recorded sites, the prehistoric cultural sequence for the coastal areas around Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves still is incompletely understood, particularly the earlier pre-ceramic occupations. Part of the problem centers on the fact that there has been an overall 30- to 50-meter rise in sea level in the past 10,000 to 12,000 years. Thus, the majority of the coastal sites from these earliest periods lie on the bottom of the Gulf of America and the extensive bay system of the aquatic preserves.

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve is the smallest of the five aquatic preserves that make up Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves. Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve is characterized by shallow waters that rarely exceed 6 feet in depth. There are seven tributaries that feed into Lemon Bay, creating a rich ecosystem within estuarine waters, including seagrasses, tidal wetlands, oyster reefs and bird rookeries. 

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve provides a vital habitat for a diverse array of plant and animal species, including threatened and endangered species. Estuaries are cradle of the oceans that support many juvenile species throughout their life stages, which also play an important part of recreational and commercial fisheries. Mangrove shorelines and islands provide habitat for nesting wading and diving birds.

Wildlife Habitat and Ecosystem Type
Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve is an Outstanding Florida Waterbody, which provides additional protection for water quality. It is designated as Class II, conditional for shellfish harvesting. The preserve contains lush seagrass beds, as well as oyster reefs, mangroves and saltmarsh. 

Invertebrates
Oysters, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, sea urchins, mangrove upside down jellyfish, sea hares, blue crabs, variety of mollusks including clams, banded tulips, crown conchs and lightning whelks.

Nesting and Migrating Birds
Variety of wading and diving birds including brown pelicans, great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, double crested cormorants, belted Kingfishers and reddish egrets. Other commonly seen birds include ospreys and songbirds along the mangrove shorelines.

Mammals
Florida manatees and bottlenose dolphins.

Reptiles
American alligators, loggerhead sea turtles and invasive non-native iguanas.

Fish
More than 200 species of fish can be found in Lemon Bay. Common fish including redfish, tarpon, snook, mangrove snapper, smalltooth sawfish, mojarras and pinfish.

Other Species
Various algae and seagrass species including shoal grass, manatee grass and turtle grass.
Mangrove trees: Black, white and red mangroves.

A full list of species can be found in the management plan.

Conservation Efforts

Protecting the quality and extent of the natural resources within the aquatic preserves is a priority. Staff monitor water quality, seagrass, wading and diving bird nesting efforts and cultural and historical resources to understand background conditions and trends over time. Understanding changes in these ecosystems and their causes is important in order to conduct adaptive management measures. Staff conduct educational presentations and outreach activities to relay the importance of aquatic preserves’ unique resources and how to protect them.

Ongoing Research

Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves has several long-term monitoring programs with over 20 years of data, including volunteer water quality monitoring program, continuous data sonde water quality, seagrass transect monitoring, colonial wading and diving bird nest monitoring and cultural and historical resource monitoring. These datasets are important to understand trends and changes in estuary health over time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Each month, season and time of day offers unique opportunities to experience the aquatic preserve. Wildlife viewing, fishing, and boating are abundant year-round, while in-water activities are more favorable in the spring with clearer waters and warmer water temperatures.

Many local ecotour companies offer tours of Lemon Bay.

Yes. Aquatic preserves often are adjacent to other conservation areas that may have nesting birds or other easily disturbed wildlife. Please do not let your pet run free in areas not designated for pets, and please pick up after your pet to avoid hazardous pathogens in our coastal waters. 

Follow current FWC saltwater fishing regulations.

Follow current FWC boating regulations.

Seagrass is protected within aquatic preserves; avoid shallow waters and raise motor if over seagrass. Damage to seagrass can result in a fine up to $1,000.

Call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).

ADA accommodations are specific to each access point and the managing entity for that site. 

There are no fees required by the preserve, but specific access points may charge access fees to those sites. The Friends of Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves can take donations for their goal of supporting preserve management and public outreach/education.

Email Charlotte.Harbor@FloridaDEP.gov to learn about local efforts.

Partner Groups

Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve News
Lemon Bay Rookery Season Winding Down but Chicks Abound

Charlotte Harbor AP staff started July rookery surveys in Lemon Bay AP last week. The peak nesting season is winding down in this Aquatic Preserve, but there are still parent-dependent chicks in the nest, resulting in some very adorable observations. Brown pelican chicks’ downy feathers are making way for adult feathers with a heart shape forming on their wings. CHAP staff also observed an American Oystercatcher chick on one of their islands.

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Message From The Manager

Each of the aquatic preserves within the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves offers a unique visit of protected submerged state lands. A visit to any of the five managed aquatic preserves and you will see healthy mangrove shorelines, seagrass beds and oyster bars. Southwest Florida’s subtropical climate is home to a variety of animals as well, in addition to migrating birds.

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