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Aquatic Preserves

Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve

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Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve includes 30,000 acres of outstanding coastal water, encompassing areas known as Big Lagoon, Perdido Key, Fort Pickens, the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), through the Pensacola Pass and into the Santa Rosa Sound. The preserve’s southern boundary extends into the Gulf of America for 3 miles from the mean high water line from the southern boundary of the Gulf Island National Seashore for approximately 12 miles east to west.  

Southwest Pensacola and Pensacola Naval Air Station are directly to the north of the preserve. Perdido Key is to the west and Pensacola Beach is to the east.  

Fort Pickens is known for it’s historic forts and battlements, sugar white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and a diverse array of ecosystem types fostering many different species of coastal bird and marine life. This aquatic preserve is a popular place to spend the day fishing, camping at the state park, exploring bird trails, walking the boardwalks, bicycling along the Gulf Islands National Seashore, touring forts with family and learning about the underwater archaeological preserve.
 

HISTORY

Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve was established on Nov. 2, 1970, by the Florida Board of Trustees for the primary purpose of protecting the area's biological resources and for maintaining these resources in an essentially natural condition. This aquatic preserve shares resources and some of the management with the National Park Service’s Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS). GUIS has received national and state recognition for its sugar white sand and crystal-clear waters, making it a favorable location for beachgoers from all over.

The sandy shores, seagrass beds, and estuaries in these waters are home to many species, several of which are endangered or threatened. All five of Florida’s sea turtles — Kemp’s ridley, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback and green — utilize Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve. These sea turtles nest on the same beaches adjacent to Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve, which are frequented by the threatened snowy plover. Additionally, the endangered Gulf sturgeon and the threatened West Indian manatee have been known to utilize Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve.

This coastal area of Pensacola serves as the primary entry point into the bay, alongside the ICW that runs along the northern boundary of the aquatic preserve. The Pensacola Pass divides this aquatic preserve and provides passage for both commercial and recreational activities to the Gulf of America. Due to its proximity to the ICW, Pensacola Pass and Ship Channel, the aquatic preserve experiences heavy boat traffic.

Educational Opportunities

  • Fort Pickens Visitor Center (Discovery Center): Closed for renovations, reopening Fall 2025, located at 1400 Fort Pickens Road in Pensacola, Florida.
  • Naval Live Oaks: Gulf Islands National Seashore Visitor Center, located at 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze, Florida.
  • Guided tours of Fort Pickens: Tours are led by a park ranger and can be scheduled at the National Park Service website.
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

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

Conservation Efforts

  • Seagrass Restoration Project: Historical point source and nonpoint source pollution have degraded benthic conditions and resulted in a substantial loss of seagrasses within Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve. Water temperature, salinity, wave-energy, tidal activity, available light and light penetration are all factors that influence establishment and growth in seagrass beds. This community is also extremely vulnerable to human impacts. Additionally, seagrass beds are susceptible to damage from anchors, trawling and prop scarring from boat propellers. Areas within the seagrass natural community in Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve have undergone restoration and the current health and coverage will continue to be monitored and assessed. Future restoration projects will be implemented based upon areas of concern. 

    The Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves office was awarded a prop scar restoration grant from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, involving restoration efforts of the seagrass Halodule within the preserve in the eastern portion of Big Lagoon, adjacent to the national seashore. Educational signs are placed near these areas to protect grass flats, landmarks and restricted areas.  

  • Beach Dune Restoration: Beach dune systems hold sediment, which is crucial to Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve in protecting submerged aquatic vegetation. Occasionally, beach dunes adjacent to the aquatic preserve are enhanced and restored to stabilize the shoreline and protect dune ecosystems. From 2009-2014, DEP restored, enhanced and diversified more than 11 acres of the beach ecosystem for dune diversity, stabilization, beach mouse habitat and research.

Ongoing Research

  • Continuous Water Quality Monitoring: Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves have conducted biannual seagrass monitoring at 25 fixed sites along the preserve since 2016. Water quality monitoring parameters include species composition, abundance, seagrass blade length, epiphytes, sediment type, temperature, salinity, water clarity, pH and dissolved oxygen.
Frequently Asked Questions

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.  

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. 

Partner Groups

  • National Park Service’s Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS).
  • Ecosystem Restoration Support Organization: A nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by former restoration specialists and DEP employees. It helps Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves with grant funding opportunities, as well as fundraising, ecotourism events and restoration project implementation.
  • Aquatic Preserve Society: A statewide friends group for all aquatic preserves, was created in 2014 and Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves may also participate or receive support from this group.