Publications:
Fact Cards
Tampa
Bay is
the largest
open-water
estuary
in Florida,
encompassing
nearly
400 square
miles
and bordering
three
counties-Hillsborough,
Manatee
and Pinellas.
The bay's
sprawling
2,200
square
mile watershed
covers
a land
area nearly
five times
as large.
More than
100 tributaries
flow into
Tampa
Bay. Manmade
shipping
channels
have been
dredged
to allow
large
ships
safe passage
to the
Port of
Tampa
and other
bay harbors.
The largest
of these,
the main
shipping
channel,
is 43
feet deep
and 40
miles
long.
Facts
About
the Estuary
- A
single
quart
of
bay
water
may
contain
as
many
as
one
million
phytoplankton-
microscopic,
single-celled
plants
that
are
an
essential
thread
of
the
marine
food
web.
- More
than
200
species
of
fish
inhabit
the
bay,
including
the
popular
snook,
redfish
and
spotted
sea
trout.
- Each
year
mangrove-blanketed
islands
host
40,000
pairs
of
25
different
species
of
birds,
including
the
regal
reddish
egret-the
rarest
heron
in
the
nation.
- Each
square
meter
of
bay
sediment
contains
an
average
of
10,000
animals.
- The
Port
of
Tampa
is
Florida's
largest
port
and
ranks
among
the
top
10
ports
nationwide
in
trade
activity.
It
contributes
billions
annually
to
the
region's
economy.
- More
than
4
billion
gallons
of
oil,
fertilizer
components
and
other
hazardous
materials
pass
through
Tampa
Bay
each
year.
Health
of the
Estuary
- Over
2,000
acres
of
seagrass
were
lost
between
1996
and
1999.
- Nitrogen
loadings
to
the
bay
are
expected
to
increase
by
17
tons
per
year
as
a
result
of
population
growth
and
development.
- Nearly
40
percent
of
the
bay's
salt
marshes
and
13
percent
of
its
mangrove
forests
have
been
destroyed
by
dredging
and
development
since
the
1950s.
- Oysters
collected
from
several
sites
in
Tampa
Bay
in
1991
and
1993
contained
high
levels
of
toxic
contaminants
such
as
pesticides,
hydrocarbons
and
PCBs.
- Manatee
mortality
from
watercraft-related
injuries
has
increased
steadily
in
Tampa
Bay
in
recent
years.
Between
1996
and
1999,
19
manatees
were
killed
by
boats.
- Nearly
one-third
of
the
nitrogen
entering
the
bay
comes
from
air
pollution,
primarily
from
power
plants
and
automobiles.
Accomplishments
of the
Estuary
Program
- Implementing
new
projects
through
public
and
private
sector
partners
to
offset
increases
in
nitrogen
loading.
- Restored
more
than
500
acres
of
marshes,
mangroves
and
other
natural
habitats
in
the
ecosystem
in
the
last
decade.
- Created
more
than
250
acres
of
critically
important
low-salinity
tidal
marshes
in
the
last
five
years.
- Through
the
Nitrogen
Management
Consortium,
local
governments
and
regulators
are
working
with
key
industries
bordering
the
bay
to
reduce
nitrogen
pollution
through
more
than
100
stormwater
treatment
projects.
- Trained
more
than
100
volunteers
who
have
given
more
than
6,000
hours
to
provide
information
and
safe
boating
tools
through
the
Tampa
Bay
Manatee
Watch
Program.
- Awarded
more
than
$160,000
worth
of
small
grants
since
1991
to
community-based
projects
that
involve
citizens
in
restoring
and
protecting
the
bay.
For
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