Mosquito Lagoon

Last updated
Two manatees swimming in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, near the Haulover Canal. September 9, 2006 Mosquitolagoon.jpg
Two manatees swimming in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, near the Haulover Canal. September 9, 2006

Mosquito Lagoon is a body of water located on the east coast of Florida in Brevard and Volusia counties. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from the Ponce de Leon Inlet to a point north of Cape Canaveral, and connects to the Indian River via the Haulover Canal. The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve includes 4,740 acres (1,920 ha) in the northern end of the lagoon. The preserve originally extended to the southern end of the lagoon, but close to two-thirds of the preserve in the central and southern lagoon were transferred to the Federal government, and is now part of the Canaveral National Seashore. The cities of New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Kennedy Space Center adjoin the lagoon. [1]

The Nature Conservancy is coordinating an oyster restoration project, developed by the University of Central Florida. The goal is to restore about 40 acres (160,000 m2) of oyster reef habitat within the Canaveral National Seashore. [2]

Winter, the bottlenose dolphin notable for her prosthetic tail (whose story was featured in the film Dolphin Tale and the sequel Dolphin Tale 2 ) was rescued from Mosquito Lagoon in December 2005.

In recent years the Mosquito lagoon has experienced several algal blooms, called "brown tides", that have resulted in extensive fish kills. The species of alga thought to be primarily responsible for the blooms, Aureoumbra lagunensis , was first detected in the lagoon in 2005. Blooms causing fish kills have occurred in the lagoon in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2020. [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Canaveral</span> Cape on the Atlantic coast of Florida in the United States

Cape Canaveral is a cape in Brevard County, Florida, in the United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Officially Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River. It is part of a region known as the Space Coast, and is the site of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Since many U.S. spacecraft have been launched from both the station and the Kennedy Space Center on adjacent Merritt Island, the two are sometimes conflated with each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Island, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Merritt Island is an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and southern parts of the island and a census-designated place (CDP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge</span> United States National Wildlife Refuge in Florida

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex, located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian, Florida. The refuge consists of a 3-acre (12,000 m2) island that includes an additional 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon. Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903, Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscayne Bay</span> Florida lagoon

Biscayne Bay is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is largely undeveloped with a large portion of the lagoon included in Biscayne National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge</span> Protected area in Florida, US

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 140,000 acres (57,000 ha) U.S. National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the Atlantic coast of Florida's largest barrier island. NASA's Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex are also situated on the island and NASA can restrict access to the refuge based on its operational needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New River (North Carolina)</span>

The New River is a 50-mile (80-km) long river in southeastern North Carolina in the United States. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The river has been plagued in more recent years by pollution by solid waste. It rises in northwestern Onslow County and flows east-southeast past Jacksonville, where it widens into a tidal estuary approximately two miles (3.2 km) wide. As an estuary it meanders through Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and enters the Atlantic in Onslow Bay, via the New River Inlet between two barrier islands. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway crosses the entrance of the river between the coast and the barrier island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian River Lagoon</span> Three lagoons on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, United States

The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana River</span> Lagoon in Florida, US

The Banana River is a 31-mile-long (50 km) lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only part of the lagoon system not in the Intracoastal Waterway. It also has an outlet to the Atlantic Ocean via a lock into Port Canaveral. The lagoon includes salt marshes, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats, and spoil islands, providing habitats for many marine species. These are brackish waters mixed of salt and fresh water; waist deep with a soft bottom sand/grass. Commercial and recreational activities in the lagoon generate more than US$ 800 million annually for the local economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax River</span> River in Florida, United States

The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, during the British occupation of Florida (1763–1784).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canaveral National Seashore</span> National Seashore in the state of Florida, U.S.

The Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) is a National Seashore located between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville, Florida, in Volusia and Brevard Counties. The park, located on a barrier island, was created on January 3, 1975, by an act of Congress. The park is split between Brevard and Volusia counties, with 9 miles of the seashore in Brevard County, and 15 miles of the seashore in Volusia County. CANA consists of 24 miles of beaches, dunes, mangrove wetlands, and a large portion of the Mosquito Lagoon. The Canaveral National Seashore is also the longest expanse of undeveloped land along the East Coast of Florida. The Canaveral National Seashore is home to more than 1,000 plant species and 310 bird species. CANA occupies 57,662 acres (23,335 ha). There are 3 major beach sections in the seashore. The southern section is Playalinda Beach, the middle section is Klondike Beach, and the northern section is Apollo Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand Islands (Cocoa Beach)</span>

The Thousand Islands are a group of natural, modified, and spoil islands in the Banana River Lagoon, Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s the islands were reshaped by development and efforts to control mosquitoes as the population of Brevard grew during the initial period of the space program at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lucie River</span> River in the United States of America

The St. Lucie River is a 35-mile-long (56 km) estuary linked to a coastal river system in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the U.S. state of Florida. The St. Lucie River and St. Lucie Estuary are an "ecological jewel" of the Treasure Coast, central to the health and well-being of the surrounding communities. The river is part of the larger Indian River Lagoon system, the most diverse estuarine environment in North America with more than 4,000 plant and animal species, including manatees, oysters, dolphins, sea turtles and seahorses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Brevard County</span>

Environmental issues in Brevard County in Florida United States are highlighted by the amount of waterline, the amount of wetlands, the quantity of residents and visitors to the area, as well as the usual threat to air quality from commuters. Assisting in this is the Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition which is headquartered in Brevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patchogue Bay</span> Bay on Long Island, New York

Patchogue Bay is a lagoon on the south-central shores of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laguna Madre (United States)</span> Hypersaline lagoon in Texas, US

The Laguna Madre is a long, shallow, hypersaline lagoon along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Nueces, Kenedy, Kleberg, Willacy and Cameron Counties in Texas, United States. It is one of seven major estuaries along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The roughly 20-mile (32 km) long Saltillo Flats land bridge divides it into Upper and Lower lagoons joined by the Intracoastal Waterway, which has been dredged through the lagoon. Cumulatively, Laguna Madre is approximately 130 miles (210 km) long, the length of Padre Island in the US. The main extensions include Baffin Bay in Upper Laguna Madre, Red Fish Bay just below the Saltillo Flats, and South Bay near the Mexican border. As a natural ecological unit, the Laguna Madre of the United States is the northern half of the ecosystem as a whole, which extends into Tamaulipas, Mexico approximately 144 miles (232 km) south of the US border, to the vicinity of the Rio Soto La Marina and the town of La Pesca, extending approximately 275 miles (443 km) through USA and Mexico in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyster reef restoration</span> Process of rebuilding or restoring of oyster reefs

Oyster reef restoration refers to the reparation and reconstruction of degraded oyster reefs. Environmental changes, modern fishing practices, over harvesting, water pollution, and other factors, have resulted in damage, disease, and ultimately, a large decline in global population and prevalence of oyster habitats. Aside from ecological importance, oyster farming is an important industry in many regions around the world. Both natural and artificial materials have been used in efforts to increase population and regenerate reefs.

Florida Oceanographic Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1964 and its goal is to inspire environmental stewardship of Florida's coastal ecosystems through education and research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyster reef</span>

The term oyster reef refers to dense aggregations of oysters that form large colonial communities. Because oyster larvae need to settle on hard substrates, new oyster reefs may form on stone or other hard marine debris. Eventually the oyster reef will propagate by spat settling on the shells of older or nonliving oysters. The dense aggregations of oysters are often referred to as an oyster reef, oyster bed, oyster bank, oyster bottom, or oyster bar interchangeably. These terms are not well defined and often regionally restricted.

Jan H. Landsberg is a biologist, researcher, and author. Her professional research interests in biology have particular focus on aquatic animal and environmental health.

References

  1. "Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve". Florida Department of Environmental Protection. February 27, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  2. Indian River Lagoon - Oyster Reef Restoration Project https://www.nbbd.com/godo/cns/Brochures/oyster_restoration.pdf
  3. Wymer, Jim (March 2, 2012). "Again? Killer brown algae responsible for 2016 mass fish deaths is blooming". Florida Today. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  4. Whitener, Josh (December 10, 2020). "Cooler weather halts fish kill, lagoon still at risk". Hometown News. Retrieved July 24, 2021.

28°45′03″N80°45′01″W / 28.75083°N 80.75028°W / 28.75083; -80.75028