The same can be said for the Indian River Lagoon. In addition to 2,100 species of plants, the lagoon basin is home to more than 2,200 animal species — the most of any North American estuary.
What species live in the Indian River Lagoon?
These sea grass communities provide spawning, nursery, and foraging habitat for many aquatic species, including spotted sea trout, redfish (red drum), snook, tarpon, mullet, sheepshead, pompano, seahorses, blue crabs, hermit crabs, pink shrimp, scallops, clams, marine worms, marine snails, and other crustaceans.
Are there sharks in Indian River Lagoon?
The Indian River Lagoon is a bull shark nursery, according to the University of Florida. … Vinson said the area is well-known for seasonal bull sharks.
Are there alligators in the Indian River Lagoon?
The website adds that gators aren’t often spotted in its waters but some do call its waterways home. Though the gator’s companion is yet to be confirmed to be a shark, the lagoon is known to be a haven for bull sharks. The lagoon has even been deemed a nursery for the shark species.
Is the Indian River Lagoon a marine protected area?
The lagoon has been called “the cradle of the ocean,” acting as a refuge for countless species. It serves as a spawning and nursery ground for many of the fish species found just offshore Florida’s coast. The lagoon’s less-saline water acts as a protective barrier for young fish, crabs and shrimp.
Do sharks live in lagoons?
While no sharks are in the business of regularly eating humans, at least part of this scene is realistic: sharks do make use of inshore, estuarine environments like lagoons, bays, and the lower portions of rivers.
What is wrong with the Indian River Lagoon?
As more people have made the Space Coast their home and increased development and pressure on the lagoon, marine life has been decimated by a deadly chain reaction started from fertilizer run-off and waste water. … Now, the lagoon is afflicted with massive die-offs fish, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.
How deep is the Indian River Lagoon?
The lagoon is unique among Florida estuaries because of its limited exchange of water with the open ocean. There are only five inlets along the lagoon’s 156-mile length, and the inlets are broadly spaced along the lagoon’s length. The lagoon’s depth averages only 4 feet.
Do people swim in the Indian River?
The water is generally safe for swimming, officials assure. … Bacteria can spike after heavy rains, with no water tests to warn the public, as on the county’s ocean beaches.
Why does the Indian River smell?
Why does the Indian River Lagoon smell? During the hot summer months, decomposing seagrass, alga, and bacteria blow onto shore and bake in the heat. The decaying organic matter emits sulfur dioxide gas, which has a odor similiar to rotting eggs.
Can you swim in Indian River Lagoon?
Florida Health Department lifts bacteria warning at lagoon at Jaycee Park in Fort Pierce. It’s safe to swim in the Indian River Lagoon at Jaycee Park in Fort Pierce again. … Potential health risks for people who ingest or come in contact with the water include upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes.
Are there sharks and alligators in the Indian River?
“It’s not everyday you see a bull shark and a gator swimming together in the Indian River,” Vinson wrote on Facebook. Vinson said bull sharks are known to use the Indian River Lagoon as nursery rounds, but the alligator was a surprising sight, especially so close to its fellow predator.
Is there sharks in the Banana River?
Areas along the Banana River and near warm-water discharge outlets from power plants could be important habitat for younger sharks, he said.
Why is the Indian River Lagoon Green?
The Indian River Lagoon algae are species of brown and red algae that are called ‘drift algae’. They are called drift algae because they drift along the bottom, moved by wind and currents, like tumbleweeds. These species of drift algae have always been relatively common in winter months.
What kind of fish is in the Indian River?
“A lot of offshore and inshore fish breed in the river. You can find snapper, grouper and tarpon as well as the normal species.” In the northern portion of the river, from Titusville to Scotts-moor, redfish are the main draw. Not just any redfish, but big schools of large redfish.
How did the Indian River Lagoon get its name?
The Indian River is a 121-mile (195 km) long brackish lagoon in Florida. … It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida, but was later given its current name.