A Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor A Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor
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CONTACT US:
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission

Fish and Wildlife
Research Institute
100 Eighth Avenue SE
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
727-896-8626
http://MyFWC.com/
BoatingGuides
Boating_Guides@
MyFWC.com


Charlotte County
UF/IFAS Extension
Florida Sea Grant

25550 Harbor View Rd #3
Port Charlotte, Florida 33980
941-764-4340
http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/
seagrant
info@flseagrant.org


Funding for this project was obtained through grants from the West Coast Inland Navigation District and Charlotte County.


Additional funding for this project was obtained through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund.
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A collage of images taken around Charlotte Harbor: a woman holding a red drum, Boca Grande Light, mangrove prop root, a black skimmer, a Florida manatees

At high tide, the waters of Charlotte Harbor and its associated bays cover a mosaic of bay bottom habitats including seagrass meadows, sandy bottom, oyster bars, mud flats and flooded forests of mangrove prop-roots. Estuaries like Charlotte Harbor, where salt water from the sea meets and mixes with fresh water from rivers and uplands, are nurseries for young fish, shellfish and crustaceans, which spend some critical stage of their development in these nearshore waters, protected from larger predators that swim the open sea.

The lush, shallow water seagrass meadows of Charlotte Harbor are locally known as “flats.” Fishing the flats with light tackle or fly rod is an unforgettable, world-class experience. The deeper areas of Charlotte Harbor are world-renowned sailing waters.

By boating safely and with greater awareness of the natural environment, you can help protect Charlotte Harbor and wildlife that depend on these waters for survival.

The interactive Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor Web site was created to complement the printed Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor. To access the features of this Web site, please select one of the subject headings to the left or click on the icon below.


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This Web site was last updated on January 30, 2015.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this Web site, please e-mail us at Boating_Guides@MyFWC.com.

Would you like to receive notices of changes to this Web site and the Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor? If so, please e-mail us and include SUBSCRIBE-CHARLOTTE in the subject line.


Photo credits: Black skimmer © Bryon Chamberlin, Angler with red drum © OsbornePhtography.com, Mangrove prop roots © Chris Anderson