Lake County Water Atlas


Home Explore The Gulf

The Gulf

The Gulf

Map

Fish & Wildlife

In addition to fisheries-independent and fisheries-dependent study results, find valuable information about endangered species, wild stock enhancement and other conservation measures related to fish, aquatic mammals and other aquatic wildlife.

Loading interactive map...

Map Legend

Water Quality sampling site
Hydrology sampling site
Closest Rainfall site
Rainfall sampling site
Multi-type sampling site
Other sampling site
 

Sea Turtle Nesting

Every April through September our beaches provide critical nesting habitat for hundreds of loggerhead sea turtles. Nest counts are showing an alarming decline, but people can safeguard this threatened species on land by keeping our beaches natural: dark, quiet, and sandy (not hardened with seawalls). At sea, the turtles are in danger of drowning in fishing trawls and becoming entangled in "longlines" set in the open-ocean. It's also important to keep plastic trash (especially bags and balloons) out of the water to prevent the needless deaths of sea turtles that mistake them for a favorite food – jellyfish. To see a comparison of sea turtle nesting activity by beach and species please select the "View an interactive graph..." link below. Learn more about sea turtle monitoring »

Total Sea Turtle Nests on Monitored Beaches in 2011

 
Beach Name Loggerhead Nests Green Turtle Nests Kemp's Ridley Nests
Data Unavailable

Note: Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) do not nest on the western coast of Florida.
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission



    Return to Top

    Birds

    Some common birds in this region that you might see include - Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, White Ibis, Brown Pelican, Osprey, Wood Stork, Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Bald Eagles and the threatened Florida Scrub-jay.

    Audubon Christmas Bird Count Data for Water Dependent, Threatened, and Endangered Birds

    More than 50,000 observers participate each year in this all-day census of early-winter bird populations. The results of their efforts are compiled into the longest running database in ornithology, representing over a century of unbroken data on trends of early-winter bird populations across the Americas. Simply put, the Christmas Bird Count, or "CBC", is citizen science in action.

    The table below demonstrates the average number of birds seen per hour of effort put forth to view them. The historic average is the average of the total number of birds seen per hour of effort divided by the number of years listed in the brackets.
    Species Name Listing Lake Placid Quadrangle
    2011 - 2012 ResultsHistoric Average
    American Oystercatcher SSC    
    Bald Eagle T    
    Black Skimmer SSC    
    Brown Pelican SSC    
    Florida Scrub-jay T    
    Little Blue Heron SSC    
    Peregrine Falcon T    
    Reddish Egret SSC    
    Snowy Plover T    
    Tricolored Heron SSC    
    White Ibis SSC    
    Wood Stork E    
    * Threatened (T), Endangered (E) and Species of Special Concern (SSC) status as listed by the State of Florida.

    Source: National Audubon Society
     

    Florida's Breeding Bird Atlas

    This site provides access to the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas data recorded by volunteers from 1986 - 1991. The surveys occurred in all 67 counties which were divided into 1028, 7.5 minutes topographic quadrangles. Each quadrangle was further divided into 6 (2 wide by 3 tall) equal-sized blocks of about 10 miles2 of which about 75% (4,866) were surveyed. For each species, a breeding code indicating the "highest" breeding evidence was recorded.

      Manatees

      The Florida manatee, or sea cow (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a subspecies of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), is a large, herbivorous, aquatic mammal that can be found in the shallow coastal waters, rivers, and springs of Florida and adjoining states. These gentle creatures are endangered throughout their range. High annual mortality, primarily associated with human activity, as well as a low reproductive rate and loss of habitat continue to keep the number of manatees low and threaten the species' future. Learn more about manatees »

      View Bay-Specific Manatee Data


      Manatee information is included on each of the bay Fish and Wildlife pages. Select a bay from the drop-down below to navigate to a bay page.






      Return to Top

      Fisheries Dependent Monitoring

      Fishery-dependent data, collected directly from people who harvest aquatic species, is used to monitor harvest rates and assess the health of exploited fish and invertebrate populations. Learn More about Fisheries Dependent Monitoring »

      Commercial Fisheries Landings in Florida

      Commercial fisheries include any species that are harvested and sold for human consumption, for medical use, in aquarium or souvenir trades, or for any other for-profit purpose. The state of Florida collects data from commercial harvesters and dealers to generate statistics on the types of species and quantities landed as well as the size, weight, and age distribution of harvested species.

      2011
      CountyFin FishInvertebratesFood ShrimpBait ShrimpGrand Total
      Lbs.TripsLbs.TripsLbs.TripsLbs.TripsLbs.Trips
      Bay2,958,4811,648111,312998246,7744964,7186300
      Brevard1,702,9764,724637,7393,6311,638,30912610100
      Broward591,2641,688302,67759415010000
      Charlotte681,1261,474521,1721,4073,213422,9378900
      Citrus361,842776831,6993,4314,58613304,0372,03400
      Clay841367,364949000000
      Collier457,860366619,0943,145000000
      Dixie502,2689231,068,5821,77917713,6404600
      Duval1,243,4432,512595,8852,2625,198,9401,74210,04118600
      Escambia1,138,0371,950141,738719234,6821890000
      Flagler2,3221222,0741028,00270000
      Franklin958,4601,3792,090,55531,187722,8146202,4331400
      Gulf6,589,31199074,608133382,0969464,4411,41800
      Hernando355,497237225,75745076,593694373,5043,56600
      Hillsborough677,1461,371269,7321,7251,299,605823,3953300
      Indian River848,4933,0336,46671000000
      Jefferson3,1651019,56338000000
      Lee1,601,9044,609951,4925,1613,424,02233285,6071,67700
      Levy76,30395746,4102,69780,5594132,5314000
      Manatee4,019,4131,67583,5105032,296211,01013000
      Martin2,187,7716,95148,697334000000
      Miami-Dade560,3521,797508,8752,101310,358687161,9271,73500
      Monroe4,758,2559,4885,261,09418,485684,04811014,72515500
      Nassau36,09619681,8412191,050,6172158,33018400
      Okaloosa1,592,1081,86719,56615421,14573711600
      Palm Beach2,086,3258,25753,3204791,54780000
      Pasco128,69017368,263499256,7389116,0731,17700
      Pinellas4,608,9104,413354,4662,7351,040,2317540,62251200
      Putnam00589,2061,74540020000
      Santa Rosa92,63224927,2784333,0092241100
      Sarasota20,7317334,007435000000
      Taylor198,4895211,496,0085420060,89953900
      Volusia965,2491,970299,1222,58762,8553840,92267700
      Wakulla461,0189661,166,8632,76830,440550000
      Walton20,56412116,316592,213130000

      Source: Commercial Landings Data


      Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey

      The Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) was developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to monitor recreational fisheries. The MRFSS is designed to collect a variety of data in order to estimate catch, harvest, and fishing effort.

      Species 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
      SPOT 64 18.8 114.2 73.3 59.1
      RED DRUM 35.5 53.3 69 112.9 40.3
      WEAKFISH 82.1 92.9 34.9 30.5 129
      BLACK DRUM 50.6 74.8 67.4 70.2 72.9
      FLORIDA POMPANO 79.5 76.3 67.7 84.7 27.5
      GREATER AMBERJACK 43.9 21.2 28.9 25.8 30
      MULLETS 112.6 149 131.3 33.9 45
      SHEEPSHEAD 90.3 64.9 19.7 91.5 78.1
      BLUEFISH 38.3 36.3 51.1 42.8 46
      DOLPHINS 140.5 73.7 75 108.7 75
      RED SNAPPER 22.8 25.4 22 24.8 30.8
      VERMILION SNAPPER 90.7 88.6 99.5 101.2 32.6
      YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER 65.4 75.7 65.1 55.8 60.5
      SALTWATER CATFISHES 31.4 37.5 102.4 42.7 35.2
      GULF FLOUNDER 40.7 38.4 65.4 40.7 24.8
      SUMMER FLOUNDER 25.2 30.3 27.6 31.5 38.3
      SOUTHERN FLOUNDER 17.8 19.6 18.6 19 82.9
      BLACK SEA BASS 56.5 47.9 51.3 63.8 68.5
      EPINEPHELUS GROUPERS 73 49.3 69 105.7 101
      MYCTEROPERCA GROUPERS 25.1 96 22.1 23.7 23.8
      STRIPED BASS 51.8 80.4 30.4 131.5 34.5
      KING MACKEREL 48.2 39.2 64.6 168.6 165.4
      SPANISH MACKEREL 78.6 42 64.1 55.9 104.7
      ATLANTIC MACKEREL 101.9 57.2 36.7 67.5 18.2
      SKATES/RAYS 147.8 208.5 152.1 74.4 189.3
      OTHER SHARKS 154.5 74.5 30.7 113.1 104.2

      Source: Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics


        Return to Top

        Other Fisheries Information

        The Tampa Bay coast supports a wide array of fish and crustaceans such as Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, Snook, Flounder, Blue Crab, Pompano, Mullet, Stone Crab and Shrimp. More than 80 percent of the fish we catch for food or fun depend on estuaries for all or part of their lives. Learn more about fisheries. »

        Species Information for Common Fish Caught on Florida's West Coast

        Information from FWRI about commercially and recreational important finfish. Includes: stock assessments, species accounts, regulations, and other research studies.



         
        Return to Top
        Mapping
        Analysis
        Learn
        Participate
        An Edition of wateratlas.org
        Connect With Us

        The USF Water Institute is committed to ensuring that our websites conform with Accessibility Support guidelines for people who need to use assistive technologies. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone, and applying the relevant accessibility standards. View our Accessibility Statement for more information.