Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)
Just Call Me “Sarge”
Characterized by its large mouth with protruding jaw, the common snook, also known as the sergeant fish or robalo, inhabits inshore coastal waters, mangrove shorelines, seagrass beds, beaches, and around structures. Snook are exceptionally in tune with their environments, most notably water-temperature change, and in recent years have been found farther north in Florida than in the past, a phenomenon that is believed to be caused by warming waters.
Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
A True Native
Florida is home to over 450,000 acres of mangrove forests; the mangrove is considered one of the most vital native species in the state. Mangroves help protect against wind and erosion, improve water quality, cycle organic materials, and serve as habitat to myriad marine organisms, which attach to their distinctive, aerial prop roots. Mangroves are also a food source for a vast number of fish and crustaceans.
Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Idle Speed, Minimum Wake
The Florida Manatee has been a protected species since 1893 and was reclassified from endangered to threatened in 2017. Known as “sea cows,” adult manatees are typically nine to ten feet in length and can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. They are aquatic herbivores, spending up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrass. The manatee’s primary threat is from collisions with watercraft, however, it also faces threats from loss of warmwater habitat, entanglement, entrapment, and algal blooms (red tide), which can significantly reduce their food supply.
Shingle Creek
The headwaters of the Everglades watershed is a slow, meandering, cypress-lined creek just outside the city of Orlando.
Kissimmee River
The restoration of 40 miles of river and floodplain is proof that these massive projects can be completed and show immediate results.
Lake Okeechobee & EAA Reservoir
This is where the southward flow of water was interrupted. The reservoir will clean and store fresh water before it is sent south.
Tamiami Trail Bridges
The road bed for Highway 41 effectively dammed the shallow “sheet flow” of water from the north, but two new bridges have restored the flow.
Everglades National Park
The major outlet for fresh water from the Everglades, Shark River features the region’s tallest and most productive red-mangrove forests.
Florida Bay
Florida Bay now receives less than 50% of the fresh water it needs to maintain its massive seagrass beds, which are the key to the entire ecosystem.