Publications:
Fact Cards
 The
Indian River Lagoon is located on Florida's
East Coast and is North America's most
species-diverse estuarine system with
over 4,300 varieties of plants and animals.
It's an important part of the Atlantic
Flyway, a key biological highway for birds
migrating from the tropics to temperate
areas in North America. In 1903, President
Theodore Roosevelt designated the lagoon's
Pelican Island as America's first National
Wildlife Refuge. The lagoon is also home
to Canaveral National Seashore Park, Merritt
Island National Wildlife Refuge, and the
Kennedy Space Center.
Facts About the Estuary
- Seventy-five
rare, threatened or endangered species
and nearly one-third of the U.S. population
of manatees live in the lagoon.
- Recreational
uses generate an annual economic impact
of $730 million from recreational
uses like fishing and boating, and
from increased land values.
- The
lagoon provides 50 percent of eastern
Florida's fish catch, and 90 percent
of
Florida's clam harvest.
- The
annual economic value of recreational
fishing and commercial shellfishing
is
$352 million.
- Over
90,000 registered boats use the Indian
River Lagoon.
- The
lagoon is home of the world renowned
$2.1 billion Indian River citrus industry.
Health
of the Estuary
- Upper
St. Johns River Basin and Lake Okeechobee
floodwater and agricultural runoff
diversions have more than doubled
the size of the lagoon watershed since
1900, from 572,000 acres in 1900 to
1.4 million acres today.
- The
lagoon has lost 18 percent of its
seagrass since 1943 and declines in
some areas have exceeded 70 percent.
- Nonpoint
source pollution from impervious surfaces
and agricultural areas pick-up sediments
and pollutants in stormwater.
- Septic
tanks are used by more than one-third
of the population.
- More
than 75 percent of the salt marsh
wetlands in the lagoon were diked
and flooded for mosquito control in
the 1950s and 1960s.
- Black
muck (deposits of fine grain, organic-rich
sediment) accumulation rates have
dramatically increased in the last
20 to 30 years.
Accomplishments
of the Estuary Program
- Removed
over 400,000 cubic yards of muck sediment
deposits.
- Initiated
acquisition program targeting 8,000
acres of wetlands and important
upland habitats.
- Acquired
41,600 acres of habitat.
- Continue
to support Citizen's Volunteer Water
Quality Monitoring Network.
- Established
81 seagrass monitoring transects throughout
the lagoon.
- Reconnected
more than 25,000 acres of impounded
wetlands.
- Planted
9,000 mangroves at 26 sites along
the lagoon's shoreline.
- Reached
500,000 individuals through public
education and outreach programs.
- Established
stormwater utilities in over 20 local
governments to provide funding for
nonpoint source implementation projects.
- Adopted
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods
Program and provided instruction to
homeowners on stewardship practices.
For
Viewing and Printing:
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Estuary Program files,
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