Big Bend Seagrasses aquatic preserve in Florida 

By Jonathan Alain

 

 

 

 

Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve is Florida's largest aquatic preserve of the 41 aquatic preserves in the state of Florida, and one of the most pristine places in Florida. It is protecting over 900,000 acres of submerged lands. This national park is mainly a large, undeveloped expanse of submerged seagrasses and marshlands. It is located along 150 miles of the northeast coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The preserve boundary covers all lands, islands, sea grass beds, shallow banks, and submerged bottoms. The region contains some of the world’s most immense coastal salt marshes and includes the second more big seagrass bed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Bend sea grasses aquatic preserve provides habitat to a wide variety of sea and shore birds including a large nesting colony of frigate birds on Seahorse Key. The place also contains the state’s largest and most stable population of bay scallops. Many of Big Bend’s small coastal communities depend on the millions of dollars in revenue generated by the harvest of bay scallops. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve has numerous recreational activities, including swimming, wildlife viewing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, scalloping and fishing. There are also many state parks, national wildlife refuges and two paddling trails.