CONTACT US: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-896-8626 http://MyFWC.com/ BoatingGuides Boating_Guides@ MyFWC.com Tampa Bay Estuary Program 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 727-893-2765 http://www.tbep.org saveit@tbep.org Funding for this project was obtained through Tampa Bay Estuary Program specialty license plate funds. Additional funding for this project was obtained through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Fund.

Simply put, aquatic preserves protect the living waters of Florida to ensure that they will always be home for breeding birds, fish nurseries, freshwater springs, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests. In 1975, with growing appreciation for their environmental diversity and alluring beauty, Florida enacted the Aquatic Preserve Act bringing existing preserves under a standard set of management criteria. This ensured that aquatic preserves' natural condition ... "their aesthetic, biological, and scientific values may endure for the enjoyment of future generations." Today, Florida is fortunate to have 41 aquatic preserves, encompassing almost two million acres. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas oversees the management of these aquatic preserves, as well as three National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR), one National Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Reef Conservation Program. The Tampa Bay area is home to four aquatic preserves: Boca Ciega Bay, Terra Ceia, Cockroach Bay, and Pinellas County. For more information about Florida's aquatic preserves, please visit Florida's Aquatic Preserves. Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve and Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve and Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve are both located in Pinellas County. Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve runs along the southwest coastline of the county and the remainder of the sovereign submerged lands in Pinellas County comprise the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve. Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve was established August 1, 1969. On, December 1, 1982, it was designated as an Outstanding Florida Water.  Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve was established March 21, 1972 and was designated as an Outstanding Florida Water on March 1, 1979. Cockroach Aquatic Preserve Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve is in southern Hillsborough County and includes part of the Little Manatee River. Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve was established July 1, 1976 and was designated as an Outstanding Florida Water on March 1, 1979. Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve is in Manatee County, along the southeastern shore of Tampa Bay. Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve was established June 24, 1984, but was amended on June 25, 1985. It was designated as an Outstanding Florida Water on May 22, 1986. 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 Tampa Bay? If so, please e-mail us and include SUBSCRIBE-TAMPA in the subject line.