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Aquatic Preserves

Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve

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Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve is on the southwest coast of Florida in Lee County. It is situated between Pine Island and the barrier islands of Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Captiva and Sanibel Islands. It's more than 18 miles long, between 4-5 miles wide and dotted with numerous mangrove islands. 

Public Access

Access Pine Island Sound through the Lee County, Captiva, Sanibel, Cayo Costa and Pine Island parks and boat ramps or by boat.

Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve is a shallow estuary which 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. The best way to explore these areas is using kayaks, canoes, paddleboards or shallow-draft vessels.

There are two Critical Wildlife Areas designated for the protection of birds nesting on mangrove islands, that restrict entry and fishing. These islands (Broken Islands and Hemp Key) are marked by buoys indicating an appropriate buffer distance. 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. 

There are also several seasonal manatee slow speed zone areas within Pine Island Sound and one No Internal Combustion Motor Zone. The use of a boater’s guide and navigational chart are recommended. 

Leave no litter and take only pictures.

History

Established in 1970, Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve was the first aquatic preserve established in the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves system. Pine Island Sound 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 Pine Island Sound and the rest of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves estuaries. For more information visit DEP's Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network website.

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. J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel offers tram tides and boat tours of Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve. Aquatic preserve 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 Pine Island Sound have been noted with remnants of pottery sherds and shell mounds.

Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve is influenced by waters from the Gulf of America through Redfish Pass, Captiva Pass and Boca Grande Pass to the north; San Carlos Bay, to the southeast, also allows for water movement between the Gulf of America and Pine Island Sound. The Caloosahatchee River is a major freshwater source for the southern portion of Pine Island Sound. The surrounding islands also contribute some freshwater runoff to the estuary. Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve is generally shallow, but some large areas exceed 6 feet in depth. Dredging for passes and channels has altered the natural bathymetry. New dredging is strongly discouraged.

Pine Island Sound 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. Oyster beds are prevalent throughout the shallow waters, as well as seagrass beds.

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

Animals
Smalltooth sawfish, blacktip shark, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, southern stingray, sea urchins, blue crabs, variety of mollusks including oysters, scallops, banded tulips, crown conchs and lightning whelks.

Nesting and Migrating Birds
Variety of wading and diving birds including Brown pelicans, white ibis, Great Blue herons, Great egrets, Snowy egrets, Reddish egrets and double crested cormorants. Other commonly seen birds include ospreys, turkey vultures, belted Kingfishers, roseate spoonbills and the White pelican in the winter months.

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, tarpon, red drum, sheepshead, snook, mangrove snapper, pufferfish, mojarras, pinfish and spadefish.

Other Species
Various algae and seagrass species including shoal grass, manatee grass and turtle grass.
Mangrove trees: Black mangrove, White mangrove and Red mangrove.

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 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.

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 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) saltwater fishing regulations.

Follow current FWC boating regulations.

There are two Critical Wildlife Areas in Pine Island Sound (Hemp Key CWA | FWC and Broken Islands CWA | FWC) that are marked with buoys and prohibit entry and fishing into the zone and on the bird rookery island. 

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