A Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor A Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor
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About This Guide
Boating
Fishing
Maps
Natural Resources
Managed Areas
State Parks and Preserves
Aquatic Preserves
National Wildlife Refuges
Resource Directory
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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.
National Wildlife Refuge Banner
Charlotte Harbor is home to three National Wildlife Refuges (NWR), administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. These refuges protect breeding areas for colonial water birds, as well as provide habitat for shore birds, land turtles and tortoises, and plants. Many of these species are classified as threatened or endangered.

For more information about the National Wildlife Refuge System, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service home page.

Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Island Bay NWR is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte County, Florida, southwest of Punta Gorda. Access to the waters surrounding the islands that make up the Island Bay NWR is by boat only. The islands are not accessible to visitors. Boaters should consult navigational charts and tide schedules before attempting to visit any waters surrounding the refuge. Numerous oyster bars and shallow back bay/estuary waters are difficult to navigate and fragile seagrass beds must not be damaged. By boat, the refuge is located on the north side of Charlotte Harbor in Turtle Bay.

Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge
Matlacha Pass NWR is located within the Matlacha Pass/Charlotte Harbor estuary, Lee County, Florida, approximately 8 miles northwest of Fort Myers. Since its establishment in 1908, the refuge has grown to 23 islands encompassing about 512 acres. Access to the waters surrounding the islands that make up the Island Bay NWR is by boat only. The islands are not accessible to visitors. The refuge can be located by boat via the intracoastal waterway south of Charlotte Harbor between the eastern boundary of Pine Island and western boundary of Cape Coral.

Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge
The Pine Island NWR is located on the southwest coast of Florida, north of Sanibel Island in the Pine Island Sound. The 500-acre refuge has been expanded to over 17 islands and consists of densely forested red and black mangroves with little uplands habitat.

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