CONTACT US: Florida Fish and Wildlife   Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife   Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-896-8626 MyFWC.com/BoatingGuides Boating_Guides@ MyFWC.com Mote Marine Laboratory Tropical Research Laboratory 24244 Overseas Hwy. Summerland Key, FL 33042 305-745-2729 http://isurus.mote.org/Keys TRL-info@mote.org This project was funded in part by a grant awarded from Mote Marine Laboratory's Protect Our Reefs Grants Program, which is funded by proceeds from the sale of the Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate. Learn more at www.mote.org/4reef. Additional funding for this project was obtained through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund.

In and around the Florida Keys, managed areas that provide recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors to the area. Boaters can visit several barrier islands and spend the day basking on the beach. anglers can wet a line in the hopes of catching a trophy trout, snook, or red drum. These managed areas also provide a refuge for many plants and animals that call this area home. Many of the barrier islands serve as nesting and resting areas for birds. Seagrass beds and mangrove roots provide areas for many bird species to feed. Gopher tortoises and box turtles can be found in the upland areas of several state parks. This section of the Web site highlights managed areas that provide boating and fishing opportunities to residents and visitors alike or protect habitat for the bay's plants and animals. State Parks and Preserves: Information for and links to state parks that provide opportunities for boating, fishing, or diving. Aquatic Preserves: Information describing an aquatic preserve and a list of the aquatic preserves in the Keys National Wildlife Refuges: A list of the National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys National Parks: Information about the National Parks that border the Florida Keys Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Information about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary If you are out snorkeling, diving, fishing, paddling, or boating and see anything that may be unusual or out of the ordinary (including lionfish) in the waters around the Keys , please record the location, date, and time, and contact the Marine Ecosystem Event Response and Assessment (MEERA) project. They can be reached by phone (305-395-8730), e-mail, or online. 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 Guides to the Upper, Middle, or Lower Keys? If so, please e-mail us and include SUBSCRIBE-KEYS in the subject line.