Florida is the fastest-growing state in the country. Most Floridians support the conservation of our natural resources, and many agree that we need to save the remaining natural habitats that sustain our state’s treasured ecosystems. Looking at our coastal areas, Florida has already lost 50% of mangroves, 2 million acres of seagrass, and 9 million acres of wetlands. So how do we protect what’s left?
Healthy estuaries are essential for healthy fisheries. They serve as nursery habitat for many fish species, including tarpon and snook. They also act as buffers against storm surge and sea-level rise, protecting our coastal communities. The biggest estuaries in Florida are Tampa Bay, Indian River Lagoon, Florida Bay, Apalachicola Bay, Perdido Bay, Rookery Bay, and Charlotte Harbor. Here are some of the conservation actions BTT is taking to protect and restore them.
Charlotte Harbor and Rookery Bay
One of BTT’s main priorities in Florida is to protect disappearing juvenile tarpon habitat. Statewide, BTT has mapped 600 creeks and ponds where juvenile tarpon are found, with the help of anglers and guides. In Charlotte County, we’re in the final stages of creating what’s called a Vulnerability Index. This VI will guide local government and conservationists in prioritizing areas to protect and those to restore.
In nearby Rookery Bay, BTT is leading the planning of two hydrologic restoration projects that will reconnect natural tidal flow to juvenile tarpon habitat. These projects will restore more than a thousand acres of mangrove and marshland habitat. Learn more.
Saving our estuaries and coastal lands is a statewide priority, and that’s how BTT is approaching it. The Charlotte Harbor Juvenile Tarpon Vulnerability Index project is intended to be replicated in other counties, and BTT has already identified four other key juvenile tarpon habitat sites near Boca Grande for future restoration projects.
Indian River Lagoon
Hand-in-hand with efforts to conserve habitat are our science-led efforts to improve water quality from a policy standpoint. Leaky septic systems, outdated sewage treatment facilities, and stormwater runoff are the main causes of Indian River Lagoon’s decline. It takes billions of dollars to fix a landscape-sized problem like this. That’s why collaborative restoration efforts from local, state and federal partners are so important, all taking place under the lagoons designation under the National Estuary Program (NEP).
The IRL is one of four NEPs in Florida. There are 28 NEPs across the US, authorized
under the Clean Water Act. NEPs are federally established, but locally managed,
creating ideal collaborations for landscapes spanning multiple political jurisdictions. The IRL council, for instance, monitors dozens of projects across the watershed that hosts seven counties, 38 cities and 1.6 million residents. Kris Millgate reports on the current status of Indian River Lagoon clean-up in the Bonefish & Tarpon Journal.
Florida Bay
One of the biggest problems in Florida impacting our fisheries is our altered freshwater flows. Whenever the amount, timing, or location of water entering an estuary or coast is changed, the ecology of the system is affected. By the 1950s, Florida’s population was growing fast, the Everglades were being developed, and flood control was imperative to progress. What Floridians didn’t realize then was that this reworking of water patterns was throwing a delicately balanced system into chaos, creating massive ecological and water quality problems that have taken decades, and billions of dollars, to address.
The altered and diminished flow of freshwater south through the Everglades into Florida Bay has impacted the bay’s salinity, water level, and habitat health. The good news is we are making progress in the right direction. State and federal investment in Everglades Restoration has reached historic levels. But the largest restoration project in human history will require decades of this level of commitment. This will influence the marine environments for a large portion of the state that has the state’s most profitable and unique fisheries–Florida Bay, the Atlantic waters east of the Keys, Southwest Florida and Charlotte Harbor, and Southeast Florida and the Indian River Lagoon.
Alexandra Marvar interviewed four water quality experts for the Bonefish & Tarpon Journal, read more here.
Tampa Bay
A new BTT-funded program from Tampa Bay Waterkeeper (TBWK) has University of South Florida researchers using DNA to locate sources of fecal bacteria entering the bay. Along with TBWK’s regular water monitoring program, this data will support solutions for a healthier Tampa Bay Estuary. Read more about these efforts from Chris Hunt in the Bonefish & Tarpon Journal.
Apalachicola and Perdido Bay
BTT supports the creation of the Northwest Florida Regional Watersheds Partnership, which will package together habitat, water quality, and water supply projects at a regional scale to proactively address significant ecosystem issues before they arise.
The partnership would represent the first dedicated funding focused on water resources in northwest Florida, helping ensure the health of Florida’s sportfish, notably tarpon and redfish, as well as their coastal habitats. Passage of the NWFRWP is a priority for BTT in the 2026 state legislative session.
Together, we are making progress, but we have a long way to go. This National Estuaries Week, we invite you to learn more about the threats facing the wetlands and estuaries near you, and support ongoing efforts to save them.