Aquatic Preserve Program

"As the only deep-water harbor between Tampa and Key West, greater Charlotte Harbor is blessed with a rich abundance and diversity of marine life and requires our constant and continued efforts to ensure the future health of its waters."  -- Anna Bowditch, Honorary Member of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Advisory Committee

"St. Andrews Bay is one of the most highly diverse estuaries in America, with over 2,900 species. On any given day, you can find almost anything in the clear waters of St. Andrews Bay. It is also one of the most fragile coastal estuaries that needs our continued protection." - Mike Brim, Executive Director, St. Andrews Bay Environmental Science Team

"Very rarely can you be on the water or stand at the water's edge and see a shoreline as protected as Pine Island Sound. It is rimmed with mangroves and other vegetation that protect both the surrounding land and the water within." - Erick Lindblad, former executive director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation

"This aquatic preserve is the essence of the southwest Florida estuary - teeming with life, exquisite in form and extremely sensitive to human-caused impacts. It is one of our many jewels in southwest Florida and we have a duty to protect this valuable preserve!" - Bob Janes, former Lee County Commissioner

"Imagine Florida without its tourism-driven economy: without fishing, boating, wading and beachcombing. Thankfully, you won't have to because the state's 41 aquatic preserves (AP), including Lemon Bay AP, will help safeguard Florida's environment and quality of life for generations to come." - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson

"Cape Haze is a Florida place where the sense of wilderness and encounters with the genuinely wild persist-- where there remains the chance to experience our state's original bounty and heritage of nature. That's what aquatic preserves are all about."

- Ernest D. Estevez, Ph.D., Director at the Center for Coastal Ecology, Mote Marine Laboratory