Mosquito Lagoon: Difference between revisions

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[[File:North_Mosquito_Lagoon_at_Ponce_Inlet.jpg|320px|frameless|right|Mosquito Lagoon looking north to Ponce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach.]]
[[File:North_Mosquito_Lagoon_at_Ponce_Inlet.jpg|320px|frameless|right|Mosquito Lagoon looking north to Ponce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach.]]
[[Mosquito Lagoon]] is a 28 mile long, 36,000 acre, bar-built lagoon located in [[:Category:Brevard County|Brevard]] and [[:Category:Volusia County|Volusia]] counties on the east coast of Florida. Mosquito Lagoon one of three main lagoons in the [[Indian River Lagoon Estuary|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary]].
[[Mosquito Lagoon]] is a 28 mile long, 36,000 acre, bar-built lagoon located in [[:Category:Brevard County|Brevard]] and [[:Category:Volusia County|Volusia]] counties on the east coast of Florida. Recognized by the EPA National Estuary Program as an ''Estuary of National Significance'', Mosquito Lagoon is one of three main water bodies in the [[Indian River Lagoon Estuary|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary]].  
 
Mosquito Lagoon is co-managed by several federal agencies as it lies within the United States Federal Wildlife Service (FWS) Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), National Park Service (NPS) Canaveral National Seashore (CANA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force station. In addition, Northern Mosquito Lagoon is managed as an aquatic preserve by State of Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).


Mosquito Lagoon is an acclaimed Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum fishery and a popular destination for anglers, kayakers, and wildlife watchers. It is one of the largest undeveloped and truly primitive coastal areas remaining in Florida. Unfamiliar boaters are advised to carry a GPS device when venturing past the marked channels.
Mosquito Lagoon is an acclaimed Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum fishery and a popular destination for anglers, kayakers, and wildlife watchers. It is one of the largest undeveloped and truly primitive coastal areas remaining in Florida. Unfamiliar boaters are advised to carry a GPS device when venturing past the marked channels.
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==Ecosystem==
[[File:Mosquitolagoon.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Manatees in Mosquito Lagoon]]
Mosquito Lagoon is located in a transition zone between the temperate province to the north and the warm subtropical province to the south. Its temperate climate and numerous habitats attract an abundance of plant and animal species. This unique environmental setting makes Mosquito Lagoon part of one of the most diverse estuarine areas in the United States.
Mosquito Lagoon is located in a transition zone between the temperate province to the north and the warm subtropical province to the south. Its temperate climate and numerous habitats attract an abundance of plant and animal species. This unique environmental setting makes Mosquito Lagoon part of one of the most diverse estuarine areas in the United States.


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Fauna in the lagoon is also dominated by species common to the Carolinian Province such as mullet (''Mugil cephalus''), spotted sea trout (''Cynoscion nebulosus''), red drum (''Sciaenops ocellatus''), sea catfish (''Arius felis''), and blue crabs (''Callinectes sapidus'') to name a few. Subtropical species are present but are less prevalent than in the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon System.<ref name="nasaML" />  
Fauna in the lagoon is also dominated by species common to the Carolinian Province such as mullet (''Mugil cephalus''), spotted sea trout (''Cynoscion nebulosus''), red drum (''Sciaenops ocellatus''), sea catfish (''Arius felis''), and blue crabs (''Callinectes sapidus'') to name a few. Subtropical species are present but are less prevalent than in the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon System.<ref name="nasaML" />  


==Management==
Mosquito Lagoon is co-managed by several federal agencies as it lies within the United States Federal Wildlife Service (FWS) Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), National Park Service (NPS) Canaveral National Seashore (CANA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force station. In addition, the lagoon's Haulover Canal is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a part of the Intracoastal Water Way (ICW). North of the federally owned areas the lagoon is managed as the [[Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve]] (MLAP) by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
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==Aquatic Preserve==
<span class="irlimageright">[[File:Mosquitolagoon.jpg|320px|frameless|right|Manatees in Mosquito Lagoon]]</span>
The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve (MLAP) is located in east-central Florida, in southern Volusia County, south of Ponce de Leon Inlet. It is adjacent to two incorporated municipalities - New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater - and 50 miles northeast of Orlando. MLAP is part of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) system, a long, wide, shallow estuarine lagoon bounded on the west by the Florida mainland, and on the east by a chain of barrier islands.


MLAP is in the northernmost sub-basin of the IRL system and is a bar-built type of estuary. Lagoons are estuaries characterized by restricted outlets to the sea, limiting the mixing of oceanic saltwater with terrestrially derived freshwater from rivers, streams, and rainwater runoff. Three distinct bodies of water comprise the IRL system: the Indian River Lagoon, the Banana River Lagoon, and Mosquito Lagoon.
MLAP is unique among the inland waters of the Atlantic Coast of Florida and a feeling of relative isolation is attainable just a short distance from nearby boat ramps. Once outside the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, local knowledge of water depths and channels of the Lagoon system is essential. Elevated landmarks are difficult to see at times, and it is easy to become disorientated among the winding turns and dead-end waterways.
* Mosquito Lagoon is one of the least developed regions on the east coast of Florida.
* Nearly two-thirds of the original aquatic preserve boundary is now a part of Canaveral National Seashore or Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
* Mosquito Lagoon has a resident population of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
* Salinity levels in the Mosquito Lagoon are comparable to ocean levels (32-34 ppt) allowing several fish species to spawn in the lagoon that would normally spawn in the ocean.
* Mosquito Lagoon supports the northernmost extent of red and black mangrove habitat, low marsh and high marsh habitats, extensive oyster bars, and tidal flats.<ref name="FWCMLAP" />
The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve includes 4740 acres 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 central and southern lagoon were transferred to the Federal government and are now part of the [[Canaveral National Seashore]].
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==Location==
==Location==

Revision as of 10:44, October 2, 2020

Template:IRL header bow

Mosquito Lagoon is one of the least developed regions on the east coast of Florida.

Mosquito Lagoon looking north to Ponce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach.

Mosquito Lagoon is a 28 mile long, 36,000 acre, bar-built lagoon located in Brevard and Volusia counties on the east coast of Florida. Recognized by the EPA National Estuary Program as an Estuary of National Significance, Mosquito Lagoon is one of three main water bodies in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary.

Mosquito Lagoon is an acclaimed Spotted Seatrout and Red Drum fishery and a popular destination for anglers, kayakers, and wildlife watchers. It is one of the largest undeveloped and truly primitive coastal areas remaining in Florida. Unfamiliar boaters are advised to carry a GPS device when venturing past the marked channels.

Ecosystem

Manatees in Mosquito Lagoon

Mosquito Lagoon is located in a transition zone between the temperate province to the north and the warm subtropical province to the south. Its temperate climate and numerous habitats attract an abundance of plant and animal species. This unique environmental setting makes Mosquito Lagoon part of one of the most diverse estuarine areas in the United States.

Mosquito Lagoon is dominated by shallow flats (less than 1.5 m) that support the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation including manatee grass,(Syringodium filiforme), shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima), and various macroalgae such as Gracilaria, Caulerpa, Sargassum, and Acanthophora.

Shorelines of the system are dominated by mangroves such as (Laguncularia racemosa) and (Avicennia germinans). However, this region represents the northern limit of their range and winter freezes of 1983, 1984, and 1989 significantly impacted their populations.

Fauna in the lagoon is also dominated by species common to the Carolinian Province such as mullet (Mugil cephalus), spotted sea trout (Cynoscion nebulosus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), sea catfish (Arius felis), and blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) to name a few. Subtropical species are present but are less prevalent than in the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon System.[1]

Management

Mosquito Lagoon is co-managed by several federal agencies as it lies within the United States Federal Wildlife Service (FWS) Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), National Park Service (NPS) Canaveral National Seashore (CANA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and Cape Canaveral U.S. Space Force station. In addition, the lagoon's Haulover Canal is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a part of the Intracoastal Water Way (ICW). North of the federally owned areas the lagoon is managed as the Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve (MLAP) by Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Location

Mosquito Lagoon extends from the Ponce de Leon Inlet to a point north of Cape Canaveral. It connects to the Indian River via the Haulover Canal at Allenhurst.

Coordinates: 28°47'51.1"N 80°46'45.2"W
GIS: (28.797532, -80.779221)

Water Body

Template:IRL Mosquito Lagoon Tributaries

Spotlight

Haulover Canal Bridge
Haulover Canal Bridge
Waterway: Mosquito Lagoon Road: SR3
City: Allenhurst County: Brevard
Type: Bascule Double Leaf Builder:McCormick and Sons
DOT: 703004 H: 27' Built: 1964-01-01
Location: (28.73634,-80.75459)
Tap for active map.

1964 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Bascule double leaf drawbridge crossing Florida SR3 (N Courtney Parkway) over the Haulover Canal in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Article

Video

Web Links

References

  1. ↑ NASA 1992 Mosquito Lagoon Environmental Resources Inventory Report

Cite error: <ref> tag with name "FWCMLAP" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.

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