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Aquatic Preserves

Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve

NEWS     |     RESOURCES     |     CALENDAR

Located on the southwest coast of Florida, Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve is situated between Pine Island, Little Pine Island and Cape Coral. Its northern border meets Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve. The southern boundary extends to San Carlos Bay, from Pirate Landing Lane on Pine Island to Reckems Point on the east, encompassing Punta Blanca Bay to the south of Reckems Point. The surrounding communities include Bokeelia, Matlacha and Cape Coral.

Public Access

Access Matlacha Pass through the Lee County and City Cape Coral parks and boat ramps.  

Matlacha Pass 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 is slow speed outside of the main channel. 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

Established in 1972, Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve is one of the five aquatic preserves that make up the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves. Matlacha Pass is known for its shallow tannin-stained waters, supporting various estuarine habitats. Matlacha Pass also has a rich history of Native American utilization and has been influenced by human activities, including ditching for mosquito control, filling for development and drainage alterations. Today, residents and visitors enjoy fishing, kayaking, birding and boating.

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 Matlacha Pass 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 Lee Beautiful.
  • Ft. Myers Boat Show.

Educational Opportunities

Local ecotour and charter boat businesses provide boat tours and fishing. Aquatic preserves staff provide educational materials, scientific data and outreach presentations upon request.

Scientific Information

Florida's coastal areas, particularly uplands adjacent to water bodies, often have a rich history of human settlements. Within Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves and Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, human activity traces back to the Archaic period. Hundreds of historic and archeological sites are documented within or near Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves, most falling within the preserve boundaries. However, a substantial portion of the area remains unsurveyed, implying the likely presence of undiscovered sites along the coastline, islands and submerged areas. Several sites within Matlacha Pass have been noted with remnants of pottery sherds and shell mounds.

Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve, with its dark, tannin-stained waters, serves as the tidal connection between Charlotte Harbor to the north and the Caloosahatchee River and San Carlos Bay to the south. It's characterized by a winding channel flowing through oyster bars, mangrove islands and seagrass flats. Runoff from the surrounding Pine Island and the canal system in Cape Coral, also impact the preserve's water quality. Historically, this water flowed slowly as sheet flow, filtering through the wetlands. However, development has disrupted this natural process, leading to faster and more concentrated freshwater flows, often carrying pollutants.

Matlacha Pass provides a vital habitat for a diverse array of plant and animal species, including threatened and endangered species. Estuaries are cradles of the oceans that support many juvenile species throughout their life stages, also playing an important part of recreational and commercial fisheries. Mangrove shorelines and islands provide habitat for nesting wading and diving birds. Oyster beds are prevalent throughout the shallow waters, as well as seagrass beds.

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

Invertebrates
Sea stars, horseshoe crabs, sea urchins, blue crabs, variety of mollusks including oysters, 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, belted Kingfishers and double crested cormorants. Other commonly seen birds include ospreys and songbirds along the mangrove shorelines.

Mammals
Florida manatees and bottlenose dolphins.

Reptiles
American alligator, loggerhead sea turtle and invasive non-native iguanas.

Fish
More than 200 species of fish can be found. Common fish include seatrout, sheepshead, snook, mangrove snapper, Smalltooth sawfish, mojarras, pinfish and spadefish.

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 are 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 the 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 and can be used together to help tell the story (for example, changes in water quality that influence seagrass habitat). Staff are working collaboratively with partners in research efforts regarding seagrass productivity, water quality (pre- and post-hurricanes and emerging pollutants) as well as restoration efforts for shellfish, seagrass and mangroves.

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 by boat or kayak.

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 designed 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