Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve
Mosquito Lagoon is one of the least developed regions on the east coast of Florida.
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.[1]
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.
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)
