Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve

USS Massachusetts Underwater Archaeological Preserve: The USS Massachusetts is an underwater archaeological preserve within the preserve on the Gulf of America side. The ship was commissioned in 1896 and served U.S. naval operations until 1921. The wreck was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 2001. The turrets of the USS Massachusetts are still visible above the water to boaters, and the site is very popular with divers visiting the area.

The USS Massachusetts is a protected underwater archaeological site within Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve. The USS Massachusetts and the rock jetties in the Pensacola Pass both provide excellent diving and fishing opportunities within the preserve.

As part of the Pensacola Bay Watershed, the Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve is located within the Gulf Coastal Lowlands. Its bathymetry consists of ascending marine terraces that run parallel, divided by wave-cut scarps, with topographical features characterized by limited relief and very little slope. The natural communities around the preserve are influenced by slight elevation changes around the barrier islands. The substrate, comprised of quartz sand, shell and minimal silt, along with dune vegetation along the barrier island, helps dictate the natural communities along the northern water’s edge. These communities migrate between salt marsh, seagrass beds, and estuarine unconsolidated substrate in different areas over time.

• While documented cases of all species of sea turtles have occurred in Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve, sightings of leatherback and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are rare. Green and loggerhead sea turtles have the highest frequency of sighting and nesting activity in this aquatic preserve, with nearly 7,000 hatchlings released into the Gulf in 2016.
• More than 280 species of birds have been identified in the aquatic preserve and its adjacent upland areas.
• Bottlenose dolphins are often seen in and around the aquatic preserve as well as multitudes of fish and shellfish. Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve is a resource for commercial and recreational anglers. Species such as snapper, mullet, sheepshead, flounder, blue crabs, shrimp and redfish spend a portion of their lives within the shallow areas of the preserve. All these species, along with grouper and mackerel, can be caught by anglers in the aquatic preserve.
• The aquatic preserve is along the path of a major migratory bird flyway and includes 23 species of wood-warblers, numerous gulls and terns and sandpipers and plovers.
• The tidal marshes that fringe much of the shoreline provide valuable habitat not only for the mollusks and fish, but also the wading birds that patiently stalk them. The tricolor heron and little blue heron are two of the listed species that rely on these marshes.
• Several mussel species within the salt marsh habitat bury themselves in the sediment and filter water, while the marsh periwinkle eats the detritus and algae found on the marsh grasses. The mollusks found within Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve provide a valuable food source for crabs, birds and other animals that live in and around the aquatic preserve, like the raccoon.

Wildlife Habitat and Ecosystem Type
Aquatic preserves, estuary, salt marsh, seagrass beds, beach dune, marine and estuarine unconsolidated substrate

Invertebrates
Blue crab 

Nesting and Migrating Birds
Black rail, tricolor heron, white ibis, little blue heron, snowy plover, bald eagle 

Mammals
Perdido Key beach mouse, raccoon, bottlenose dolphin, West Indian manatee

Reptiles
Eastern indigo snake

Fish
Spot fish, Gulf sturgeon, pinfish, Florida pompano, mullet

Other Species
Salt marsh: smooth cordgrass, black needlerush
Seagrass beds: shoal grass and turtle grass
Beach dune: sea oats and bitter panicgrass, searocket, beach morning glory, camphorweed, Gulf bluestem, Godfrey’s goldenaster, large-leaved jointweed

Locals recommend visiting late summer and spring, as the best time to see flowering native plant species while avoiding busy tourist seasons and hot summer temperatures.  

Tours are led by a park ranger and can be scheduled at the National Park Service website.

Yes. There are designated dog beaches marked with signage along the beach road. 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 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. 

Entrance fees apply to the Fort Pickens area when accessing from land. Fees are required and collected at the park entrance during peak season. Donations are accepted during the winter season. All Interagency Annual America the Beautiful passes are accepted for entry into these areas. Interagency Annual passes are valid at all National Parks and can be purchased online. More information and passes can be purchased at the National Parks Service website. 

Contact the Aquatic Preserve manager and request a volunteer packet.