Birds of Lower Tampa Bay What to do if you catch a bird All fishermen will probably one day accidentally American Oystercatcher catch a bird. Follow these safety tips to release it: One of our rarest birds, American 1. Put on sunglasses or other eye protection. Oystercatchers number only about 2. Get a partner to help with controlling the bird. 400 pairs in Florida. They eat oys- ters and other invertebrates, open- 3. Grasp the bird’s head firmly and then cover the ing shells with stout orange beaks. eyes with a towel, shirt, or even a hat to calm it. Oystercatchers nest along beach 4. Fold the wings up and secure the feet, holding shorelines, placing the eggs in shal- firmly. low depressions called “scrapes.” If disturbed, the flamboyantly colored 5. Cut off the hook’s barb and back the hook out. adults walk away from their nests, American Oystercatchers by Jim Gray. This removes the hook without causing more depending on the camouflage of Oystercatcher eggs by Rich Paul. damage to the bird. the eggs or chicks to protect them. 6. Check the bird for other hooks or line and Without the parent providing shade, remove them too. Often a bird has been hooked the eggs, sitting on hot summer before. sands, can overheat quickly, killing Lower Tampa Bay Boater’s Guide the delicate embryos inside. Please 7. Put the bird on the dock, facing the water and give nesting oystercatchers a wide step back. A feisty bird is likely to survive. berth if encountered between April Sunshine Skyway bridge. Photo by Jim Gray. 8. If the bird is seriously injured, has swallowed and late July. the hook, or doesn’t fly, it should be taken to a Welcome to Lower Tampa Bay! South Tampa Bay offers recreational opportunities, spectacular vistas, and multiple veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator. Call the environmental resources, making it a unique and special region. As you are fishing, boating, sailing, or just plain enjoying the bay, Laughing Gull Wildlife Commission 1-888-404-3922 for one we hope that this guide, produced by Audubon Florida, will increase your awareness and appreciation of the bay waters, islands, Large colonies of Laughing Gulls near you. shorelines, birds and other wildlife, and the special places of the bay. nest on grassy islands in Tampa Bay, including Egmont Key NWR. Omnivo- rous, they are opportunistic foragers, and eat a wide variety of prey and food Tips to avoid catching a bird items, and fish for themselves or steal from other birds. ◆ Don’t cast near a watching bird. Birds focus on Special Places Fish Black Skimmer the injured fish in a school; that would be your hooked bait. The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans lower Tarpon Sleek, swift flyers, Tampa Bay with a cable-stayed main span and a total length of 4.1 miles as Highly-prized Black Skimmers use ◆ If fish-eating birds are near where you are fish- Tarpon by Jim Gray. Interstate Highway 275 (SR 93), US Highway 19, and State Road 55. It con- sportfish, their longer lower jaw ing, move to another spot. nects St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, tarpon grow to 8 feet, weighing nearly 300 to snatch fish from ◆ Don’t feed birds passing through Hillsborough County waters. The bridge construction pounds. Adults spawn millions of eggs off-shore in the water’s surface. your extra bait or started in 1982 and was opened to traffic in 1987 at a cost of $244 million. It the Gulf of Mexico. Larva quickly move into estu- They nest in colo- the remains of your replaced an older bridge that was partly destroyed in 1980 when a freighter aries where they develop in protected bay habitats. nies on beaches and filleted boney fish struck a major support. Steel cables clad in 84 9-inch steel tubes (42 per Juvenile tarpon depend upon the vegetation along are state-listed as a carcasses. Feeding pylon) along the center line of the bridge support the main span. shallow, semi-salty backwater creeks that provide “threatened” species. birds attracts them to protection from predators. Females are sexually Black Skimmers by fishing areas, where The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, comprised of the mature at 10 years; most tarpon caught by sports Jim Gray. they are more likely approaches to the old Interstate 275 Bridge, is the longest fishing pier in the fishermen are 15–30 years old. Tarpon fishing to get hooked. world. Illuminated at night, the pier is open 24 hours a day, every day, for today is catch-and-release only, to protect the Brown Pelican sightseers, bird-watchers, and fishermen. Anglers commonly catch snook, population of these extraordinary “silver kings.” ◆ Pelicans and other tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, Among our best-known birds, Brown Pelicans are fish-eaters that expert divers, plunging head-first into bait fish sheepshead, red snapper, and pompano. A pier store offers snacks, drinks, Redfish swallow fish whole bait, and fishing supplies. Check the park’s website,www.floridastateparks. schools to trap fish in their expandable pouched can digest the bones Cover bait buckets to Also called red drum, redfish are highly-sought bills. Pelicans nest in colony groups on mangrove prevent birds from “fish- org/park/Skyway, for more information and fees. Skyway Bridge access by Florida fishermen. Florida Fish and Wildlife of small fish, but roads also offer shoreline fishing and recreational opportunities. islands in Terra Ceia Bay, where they make large the sharp bones of ing” in them. Photo by Conservation Commission studies indicate that stick nests for their three eggs. Gray-skinned, big fish puncture Mac Stone. redfish return to regular aggregation sites, and naked chicks quickly grow white downy feath- The Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve encompasses state-owned individuals can move up to 10 miles in a day. pouches, throats, stomachs, and intestines. This submerged areas and wetlands totaling 21,736 acres in the open waters of ers. Carefully fed by both attentive parents, they leads to infection and a slow, painful death. Redfish spawn in nearshore Gulf waters between fledge as flight-capable and independent birds 11 south Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Bay, Miguel Bay, Joe Bay, Bishop Harbor, and mid-September and November. Larval and juvenile ◆ Attend your baited fishing pole at all times to the tidal waters of all the local tributar- weeks after hatching. Brown Pelicans by redfish seek calm, dead-end estuary creeks. During prevent a bird from taking your bait, including ies, including Frog Creek/Terra Ceia Carol Cassels. cold weather, adult redfish congregate in warm your hook, line, and rod. River and McMullen Creek. The Aquatic spring-outflow waters. Northern Gannet Preserve, state-designated as an Out- One of the Atlantic’s largest seabirds, Northern Gannets are plunge-fisher- standing Florida Water, has significant Lionfish men and swim underwater to chase fish prey. Gannets nest on North Cana- seagrass and hardbottom (hard and soft Introduced dian island cliffs and fly south in the winter. These large white birds are often corals, sponges, sea squirts, tube worms, into the south- seen at the mouth of Tampa Bay, especially after storms. sand dollars, with shrimps, crabs, conchs east Atlantic by and other mollusks) habitats and a Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve is home the U.S. aquar- Terns diverse variety of natural communities, to soft corals like these colorful sea ium trade in including salt marsh, tidal flats, oyster These aerodynamic members whips. Photo by Randy Runnels. the 1980s, the bars and clam beds. For canoeists and of the gull family forage on bait Indo-Pacific kayakers, the 3-mile Bishop Harbor Blueway Trail circles Bishop Harbor and fish schools swimming near the Red Lionfish is provides access to the Manatee County Terra Ceia Paddling Trail. surface. Royal, Sandwich, and firmly estab- Least terns nest in colonies on lished from , bordered by the City sandy beaches and islands along The Terra Ceia Preserve State Park North Caro- Lionfish by Michael Gäbler. Spoonbill feeding of Palmetto and the Palmetto Point subdivision, includes 1,932 acres of the Gulf Coast. Least Terns are lina to South chick by Tom Bell. uplands adjacent to the Preserve. state-listed as “threatened” and Roseate Spoonbill America, including the Gulf of Mexico. Aggressive some nest on flat gravel rooftops The Tampa Bay area is home to about 300 of the predators of small fish and invertebrates, this non-

that seem like isolated beaches to 1,200 pairs of Roseate Spoonbills that nest in Audubon’s Nina Griffith Washburn Bird Sanctuary native invasive species causes severe declines in them. Forster’s Terns may also be Florida. State-listed as “threatened,” spoonbills and Terra Ceia Little Bird Key (the Ann and Rich Paul Bird Sanc- local native fish populations, threatening the food Least Tern with chick by Doug Clark. spotted here during the winter. nest in mangroves on estuary islands. Tactile feed- tuary) are natural mangrove islands in Terra Ceia Bay that provide nesting web. Lionfish rely on camouflage and lightning- ers, they sweep their sensitive bills side to side to habitat for thousands of birds in some years, including pelicans, anhingas, fast reflexes to capture prey. With no natural Common Loon catch fish and other freshwater prey items. cormorants, herons, egrets, ibis, and spoonbills. The sanctuaries are posted predators, lionfish have rapidly expanded their Common Loons often spend the “No Trespassing” to protect nesting birds from disturbance. The surround- range and population size. Females release up to winter in the open waters of Tampa ing seagrass beds and the islands are owned by the Audubon Society and 30,000 eggs during each spawning and can spawn Bay, having migrated from nesting managed by Audubon’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries (813/623-6826). every four days. Lionfish can be caught with nets ponds in Canada and the northern or spears and are considered delicious to eat, as United States. Large, low-slung Miguel Bay Bird Island is a small mangrove island that is a roost the flesh is not poisonous. The lionfish venom, divers, they swim underwater to and nesting site for many waterbirds, including pelicans, cormorants, and delivered from 18 needle-like dorsal fins, is purely capture their small fish, crab, or herons. In some years, spoonbills also nest here. The island is posted “No defensive. A sting from a lionfish is extremely mollusk prey. Common Loon by Lauren Cox. Trespassing” to protect the nesting and roosting birds from disturbance. painful to humans. Treat puncture wounds with Many birds are found entangled in fishing gear on the island. The island is hot (not scalding) water for 30–90 minutes and owned by the State of Florida and managed as part of the Terra Ceia Aquatic seek medical attention. For more information go Reddish Egret Preserve and Audubon’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries (813/623-6826). to www.myfwc.com or www.reef.org and search The rarest heron in North America and one for “lionfish.” of Florida’s rarest species with less than 300 Two Magnificent Frigatebirds. The male (right) has Emerson Point Preserve, a 365-acre Manatee County preserve pairs nesting in the state, Reddish Egrets are a striking red gular sac that it inflates to impress a located at the west end of Snead Island and the mouth of Terra Ceia Bay and exclusively birds of the estuary. They forage female. Photo by Tom Bell. the Manatee River, is a designated State Archeological Site and is on the Manatees on open mud and sandflats for small fish, U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The preserve offers passive recre- Sometimes called “sea cows,” manatees are actively giving chase with open wings and Magnificent Frigatebird ation opportunities and protection for six pre-Columbian Native American large, cylindrically-shaped grayish marine erratic dashes. After nesting in the Dry Tortugas, Magnificent mounds and middens dating back 2,000 years, an 1800s-era plantation, mammals with flat rounded tails and small fore Frigatebirds visit south Tampa Bay where they hardwood tropical hammocks and mangrove and saltmarsh regions. Madira flippers. Vegetarians, they use large prehensile Two Reddish Egrets, dark and white morphs by Scott Patterson. steal fish from terns or dip bait fish flushed to the Bickel donated the mound to the state in 1948. The Portavant Mound (or lips to gather grasses and water plants, mostly top of the water by fishing dolphins or tarpon. Snead Island Temple Mound) is one of fifteen or more “temple mounds” in shallow waters at depths of 3–7 feet. Adult produced by the Safety Harbor culture (900-1725 AD) around Tampa Bay. manatees can measure as long as 13 feet, weigh 1,300 pounds, and live to 60 years old. They Other Egrets & Herons Port Manatee, one of Florida’s largest deepwater seaports, is located are distantly related to elephants and hyraxes. Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, in northern Manatee County. The port channel is 2.9 miles long, 400 feet Mostly they swim at 3 to 5 mph but can move for and Tricolored Herons all rely on wide, and 40+ feet deep. Port Manatee handles approximately 8 million tons short distances as fast as 20 mph. Females give freshwater wetlands to feed their of containerized, breakbulk, bulk and other cargo each year including fresh birth to a single calf once every two years after developing young. The Snowy produce, forestry products, petroleum products, citrus juice products, fertil- a 12-month gestation. They nurse the young for Egret’s yellow feet attract fish and izer, steel, aluminum, automobiles, cement, aggregate and more. In 2008, 12 to 18 months. Manatees have good long-term amphibian prey nearer its sharp the U.S. Coast Guard and the Manatee County Port Authority established a memory and demonstrate discrimination and black bill. community-based watch program to assist a security zone around the dredge task-learning abilities similar to dolphins and Snowy Egret, right; Great Egret, far spoil island near Port Manatee known as Manbirtee Key. For more informa- seals. About 5,000 manatees live in Florida. Mor- right by Tom Bell. tion, call 941/722-6621. tality is caused by cold weather exposure, poison- ing by red tide, fishing gear entanglement, and Manbirtee Key is a 60-acre man-made island created during Port violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and Manatee’s original dredging project in the 1960s. In 2003, the port partnered ships. A large proportion of manatees have spiral with Gulfstream Natural Gas System and the National Audubon Society in cut propeller scars on their backs. Manatees a multi-million-dollar project to create natural communities to provide habi- occasionally ingest fishing gear (hooks, metal tat for birds. The island, surrounded by a shallow water seagrass meadow, is weights, etc.) while feeding. managed by the Port and Audubon’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries. The island’s upland plateau is scraped each winter to promote nesting by Least Terns, Wilson’s Plovers, and Killdeer. Herons and egrets nest in the man- grove thickets. The south sandbar is a roost site for pelicans, terns, gulls, and shorebirds. Migrating songbirds use the upland coastal hammock habitats. This guide is produced by Audubon Florida. For The Manatee River stretches 36 miles (58 km) from its origin in the copies, contact Manatee northeastern corner of Manatee County to its wide mouth where it flows into County Audubon Society or the southeastern corner of Tampa Bay. The river drains a 360-square-mile Audubon’s Florida Coastal watershed. Its main tributary is the 21-mile-long Braden River. Two drink- Islands Sanctuaries. ing-water supply reservoirs within the watershed are 2,400-acre Ward Lake (also called the Bill Evers Reservoir) on the Braden River and the 2,000-acre Lake Manatee Reservoir on the Manatee River.

The Dot-Dash-Dit Bird Islands Sanctuary is located in the Braden River north of the State Highway 64 Bridge in Bradenton. Owned by the State and managed by Audubon’s FCIS, the tiny mangrove islands provide nesting for Wood Storks, herons and egrets, cormorants, Anhingas, Graphic design: and Roseate Spoonbills. InSightGraphicDesign.net Manatee by Kimball Love. 82° 40' W 82° 35' W 82° 30' W

Piney HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY 9 Point MANATEE COUNTY HABITAT Bird Sanctuary - 10 Do not disturb Seagrass Boat Ramps 11 Mangroves 1B Artificial Reef 2 Manbirtee Port Salt Marsh 3 Canoe/Kayak Launch 5A Key 1 12 Manatee 6A County Parks 41 MANAGED AREAS 1 National Memorial State Park

3A Aquatic Preserves Navigation Markers

4A WATER DEPTH BOATING ZONES 0 to 3 feet No Entry 3 to 6 feet 6 to 12 feet Combustion Engine Greater than Exclusion 1A 12 feet Terra Ceia Idle Speed 25 Aquatic Preserve Dredged Channel Harbor Slow Speed Key 275 Spoil Area Other Posted Zone 26 Exposed at Mean Bishop Bridges Lower Low Water Harbor Mariposa 1 1 Fixed Bridge Key This chart is not intended (Vertical Clearance)75 for navigational use. For navigation, see N.O.A.A. chart #11414.

Skyway Fishing Pier Two Brothers State Park - South Islands Joe Island Joe Bay Miles 41 0.5 0 0.5 Terra Ceia Preserve 9’

Tampa State Park 27° 35' N 275 Bay 27° 35' N

Skeet Key McMullen Creek Eds Miguel Key Bay 2

Sister 41 Keys 2

Terra Ceia 75 Aquatic Preserve Flounder Pass 19

Rattlesnake Key 3 Terra Ceia 1 Bird Key 12 13 TC Bay Terra Ceia 5 1 9 7 3 Point 4 10

Boating zones exist in this part of the Manatee 4 River but are not shown Little here. Please observe and 3 Bird follow the directions on Key Emerson Point Preserve signs in this area. 3 4 Ellenton 7 2 E Snead Island 9 4 4 8 Emerson Point Snead Island

11 D 10 41 13’ 41 24’ 12 DeSoto Point F 301 De Soto 2 National A Palmetto 4 Memorial C B 31 5 14 75 3 29

15 28 3 4 3 Robinson 6 1 75 1 4 26 5 19 4 6 3 Preserve 2 Warner West 16 2 1 M 18 25 Bayou an a 20 23 r 2 tee ve Braden 21 24A i Warner R 24 6 21A River 27° 30' N East 22 1 5 8’ Bayou 22A 40’ 2 3 4 5 Wares 6 64 27° 30' N Creek 41’ 5’ 8 Boating zones exist in this part of 64 7 64 64 41 Railroad 41 5 13 Palma Sola Bay but are not 9 11 14 15 shown here. Please observe and 301 16 10’ 10 12 follow the directions on signs in this area. Bradenton

82° 40' W 82° 35' W 82° 30' W Public Access Canoe/Kayak Many public boat Bird Artificial Reefs Ramps/Lanes Paved Ramp ramps shown can also LATITUDE Ramp Fee Restroom be used as a canoe or No REEFNAME DESCRIPTION DEPTH (ft) LONGITUDE Boat Ramps Docks Launches kayak launch. Sanctuaries 1 Southeast Tampa Concrete Reefballs 14 27˚ 32.917´ N 82˚ 40.291´ W No FACILITY ADDRESS CITY No FACILITY ADDRESS CITY No NAME WATER BODY 2 Manatee River – Concrete Reefballs 10 27˚ 31.826´ N 1 Bishop Harbor NW end of Bishop Harbor Rd. Palmetto 1/1 N N N N 1 Terra Ceia Bay Aquatic Preserve 130 Terra Ceia Rd. Terra Ceia 1 Manbirtee Key Tampa Bay Emerson Point 82˚ 38.767´ W 2 Warner Bayou 5800 Riverview Blvd. Bradenton 1/3 Y N Y N 2 Terra Ceia Bay Access US-19 at Terra Ceia Bay Terra Ceia 2 Miguel Bay Bird Key Miguel Bay 3 Riverside Park 801 Riverside Dr. Palmetto 1/2 Y N Y Y 3 Emerson Point Park - Beach End of 17th St. W Palmetto 3 Nina Griffith Washburn Terra Ceia Bay NOTE: ere are many more articial reefs in Tampa Bay and the 4 Highland Shores Boat Ramp 351 Shore Dr. Ellenton 1/1 Y N N N 4 Emerson Point Park - Bayou 5801 17th St. W Palmetto Audubon Sanctuary oshore waters of Pinellas and Manatee counties that are not shown 5 State Road 64 3020 Manatee Ave. Bradenton 1/2 Y N Y N 5 Robinson Preserve 1704 99th St. NW Bradenton 4 Terra Ceia Little Bird Key Terra Ceia Bay on this map. For a complete listing of articial reefs in Florida, visit 6 Warner Bayou 5800 Riverview Blvd. Bradenton 5 Dot-Dash-Dit Bird Colony Sanctuary Braden River www.MyFWC.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs

NOAA Weather Service Broadcast National Marine Fisheries Service Dept. of Environmental Protection Florida State Parks Manatee County Sheriff’s Office: Tampa Bay Regional Planning education. Manatee Sail and PS: partnership developing long-term 24-hour weather and marine fore- www.nmfs.noaa.gov. Hot line: www.dep.state.fl.us. Oil spills, www.floridastateparks.org. Cock- Emergency 911 or Non-emergency: Council, Agency on Bay 941/747-9832. Anna Maria Island master plan for bay restoration and cast: 813/645-2506, www.srh.noaa. 800/853-1964. Whales, dolphins, environmental regulation questions: roach Bay Preserve State Park: 941/747-3011. Marine Unit: Management PS: 941/792-0394. management: 727/893-2765. www.tbrpc.org/abm. Regional agen- gov/tbw. Radio: 162.450 Kz/VHF sea turtles injury, harassment, 813/744-6100. 941/723-4536. Terra Ceia Pre- 941/721-6607. Save All Birds Sarasota Bay Estuary Program cies coordinate development & bay U.S. Coast Guard or abandonment, regulations State Watch Office, Division of serve State Park: 941/723-4536 or Port Manatee www.facebook.com/SaveAllBirds. www.sarasotabay.org. Government protection activities: 727/570-5151 www.uscg.mil. Pinellas/St. Peters- for protection. Local Protected Emergency Management 941/721-2068. Skyway Fishing Pier www.portmanatee.com. Manages org. Assistance with injured seabirds, partnership developing long-term ext. 40. burg: 727/824-7506. Cortez Station: Resources line: 727/824-5312 or www.floridadisaster.org/Response/ State Park: 727/865-0668. Port facilities in Manatee County: wildlife: 401/529-1048. master plan for bay restoration and 941/794-1607. National Pollution 727/824-5301. Operations/swp.htm. Oil spills, Southwest Florida Water 941/722-6621. Audubon Society, Florida Coastal management: 941/955-8085. Islands Sanctuaries Save Our Seabirds Response Center: 800/424-8802. Fla. Fish & Wildlife Conservation major environmental emergencies: Management District Port Manatee Zone Watch www.fl.audubon.org. National www.saveourseabirds.org. Assis- Manatee County Audubon Society U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: 877/875- Commission 800/320-0519. www.swfwmd.state.fl.us. Surface www.portmanatee.com/Security/ conservation association, bird colony tance with injured seabirds, wildlife: www.manateeaudubon.org. Local 6296, offers boater training, educa- www.myfwc.com. To report oil spills, De Soto National Memorial Water Improvement and Manage- Zone-Watch. The U.S. Coast 941/388-3010. National Audubon Society chapter, tion, safety classes. marine violations, boating accidents, ment Program: habitat restora- management: 813/623-6826. www.nps.gov/deso/index.htm. De Guard and the Manatee County Wildlife Inc. conservation issues, bird-watching, The Coast Guard Marine Safety and manatee or dolphin injuries or Soto National Memorial includes tion and water quality improve- Port Authority have entered into a Tampa Bay Watch Colony Watch volunteer opportuni- and Security Task Force asks boaters strandings: 888/404-3922. For fish ment projects: 800/836-0797 or www.tampabaywatch.org. Steward- www.wildlifeinc.org. Assistance about 26 acres on the south bank of cooperative agreement to establish with injured seabirds, wildlife: ties: 941/729-2222. to stay well away from all commer- and wildlife questions, general infor- the Manatee River: 941/792-0458. 813/985-7481. a community-based watch program ship program for Tampa Bay area cial vessels and facilities, including mation, hunting and fishing licenses: restoration projects, volunteer coor- 941/778-6324. Manatee County Extension, Florida Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves Manatee County to assist in the enforcement and Sea Grant power plants, to increase public 863/648-3200 or 888/347-4356. www.mymanatee.org. Planning & implementation of a security zone on dination: 727/867-8166. Wildlife Rescue Service of Florida safety and reduce the threat of ter- www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/ www.manatee.ifas.ufl.edu/seagrant/ Fish & Wildlife Research Institute Zoning: 941/749-3070. Parks & and around a dredge spoil island near Reef Environmental Education Assistance with injured seabirds, rorist attacks. To report suspicious programs/aquatic.htm. Manages wildlife: 941/720-9453. index.shtml. Florida Sea Grant uses www.myfwc.com/research. Fisheries the Cockroach Bay and Terra Ceia Natural Resources: 941/742-5923. Port Manatee known as Manbirtee Foundation academic research, education and activities, call 911 or VHF Channel monitoring & biology, stock assess- Environmental Protection Division: Key. The Manbirtee Key Security 16. Information: 727/824-7531. Aquatic Preserves including the www.reef.org. Science-based marine Mote Marine Laboratory extension to create a sustainable ment, coral reefs, marine habitats aquatic resources in Hillsborough 941/742-5980. Environmental Zone became effective Jan. 1, 2008. ecosystem conservation organiza- www.mote.org. Assistance with coastal economy and environment: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service restoration, algae/red tide blooms, and Manatee Counties and the issues, complaints, habitat restora- Under federal regulations, commer- tion: 305/852-0030. injured marine mammals or sea 941/722-4524. www.fws.gov. National Mana- marine mammals, marine turtles, State of Florida-owned islands: tion and preservation. Emerson cial and recreational boaters desiring turtles: 941/388-4441. tee and Sea Turtle Coordinator: technical support for marine catas- Point Preserve: 941/721-6885. to enter the zone must first gain per- Power Squadron 239/530-1011. www.usps.org. Safe boating classes, Tampa Bay Estuary Program 904/731-3328. trophes: 727/896-8626. To report Marine Resources, navigational mission from the U.S. Coast Guard Emergency: 911 fish kills:800/636-0511 . markers: 941/742-5923 ext. 6008. Captain of the Port: 727/824-7534. boat inspections and boating safety www.tbep.org. Government