Mosquito Lagoon

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

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.

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)

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Water Body

Spotlight

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

• Atlas of Marine Protection Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve
• FDEP - Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve
• EPA - An Introduction to a National Treasure

References