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 The
Indian River
Lagoon is a 156 mile long estuary that spans from Ponce
de Leon Inlet in the north to Jupiter
Inlet in the south.
Located
on
Florida’s
east-central coast,
the Indian River
Lagoon is
America’s
most diverse estuary.
 There
are over 400 species of fish, 260 species of mollusks
and
479 species of shrimp and crabs.
The lagoon
overlaps the temperate
and the
subtropical zones creating a highly diverse system.
The Mosquito
Lagoon is long, narrow,
shallow estuary that is bordered on the east by a barrier island
and on the west by the mainland and is connected to the
Indian River
via the Haulover Canal.
The major
community types
are marshes or swamps, salt marshes, sea grass
beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats,
 deep
water areas,
and spoil islands. There are several community types that border
the aquatic
preserve: coastal strand, secondary dunes, floodplain forest,
hydric hammock and urban areas. During the 1950’s and 1960’s
most marshes were rotary ditched for mosquito control purposes
while others were
impounded. Impounded salt marshes restrict tidal movement making
them very susceptible to human impacts. Pollutants
 that enter
this water body often remain there for extended periods of time
without the aid of proper flushing. Mosquito Lagoon has been
designated an Outstanding Florida Water by the State of Florida
and, as part of the Indian River Lagoon, an Estuary of National
Significance by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is
renown for its outstanding biological diversity, recreational
fishery and as habitat for
several federally-protected animals. Lagoon waters are
classified as Class II which is suitable for shellfish (clam and
oyster) propagation and harvesting. All of these resources are
dependent upon good water quality for their survival. While current data show that overall water quality in Mosquito
Lagoon is good, several characteristics make the
lagoon vulnerable to pollution. Flushing
is very limited - the only natural outlet is 10 miles north of
the park. The shallow
average depth of only four feet allows bottom sediments to
be easily stirred up by wind and storms.
The porous
sandy soil does little to retain septic tank effluent and storm
water runoff from  developed areas along
the northwest boundary of the park. In fact, when it rains more
than 1.5 inches over a 24 hour period, fecal coli form levels
rise to the extent that shellfish harvesting must be suspended
for several days until the levels subside.
Recent
installation of a sewer system in
Bethune
Beach
and upgrading of the Edgewater wastewater treatment plant
will be beneficial. Estuaries, such as
 Mosquito
Lagoon, contain brackish water, a mixture of salt and fresh
water. In Mosquito salinity levels are high and frequently
equal ocean levels (about 32 parts per thousand). Because
of this, several fish species spawn in the lagoon that normally
spawn in the ocean. Large influxes of fresh water from
runoff or heavy rain can actually act as a pollutant,
negatively affecting estuarine species sensitive to salinity
levels.
While
 a
problem in portions of the Indian River
Lagoon south of Canaveral National Seashore
salinity
levels
are relatively stable in Mosquito Lagoon, averaging from 28-34
pounds. Since the lagoon
ecosystem is
based
heavily on healthy sea grass beds,
water clarity is
essential. Grass beds require light to conduct
photosynthesis. Water that is clouded with silt or organic
matter, including algal blooms caused by high levels of
nutrients, prevent light penetration and limit the growth of sea
grass. Water clarity in Mosquito Lagoon is very good in
the winter and early spring but decreases significantly in the
summer and fall.
We hope this information
has
 been
helpful and
informative. Please
e-mail us and let us
know if
you have any additional
information
that you
would like to
share with us and other fisherman. Thank You!! |
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