Management activities at Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves have been discontinued as of July 1, 2011.

Although the aquatic preserves will remain designated, all coastal education and resource monitoring programs at closed locations have been eliminated. The Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves office serves four aquatic preserves: Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve, Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve, Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve and Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve. These areas are no longer actively managed and the resource management, research and monitoring, and outreach and education programs at these aquatic preserves has ended.

Although seven aquatic preserve offices remain open, it is not possible for the remaining staff to absorb the closed programs into the organizational structure. Permit review by DEP regulatory offices will still be active through the Southwest District office.

The following pages describe former management programs which will be restarted should revenue streams improve.

• Ecosystem Science

  The Ecosystem Science program in the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve (TCAP) has recent established the groundwork for a very robust program in which science and resource management goals are tied together. TCAP uses an "open ecosystem" context for studying the aquatic preserve as a continuous landscape of interconnected habitats.

• Resource Management

  Effective resource management is especially challenging at TCAP because of the emerging issues and unforeseen events in one of Florida's most densely urbanized watersheds. Much of the most effective resource protection afforded by TCAP has been in the form of informing decision makers of the presence of sensitive resources and strategies to avoid and minimize impacts. Information provided to residents and visitors also has resulted in positive changes in resource use.

• Education and Outreach

  The Education and Outreach Program concentrated on informational kiosks and mass marketing, such as broadcasts to classrooms.

• Public Use

  Public use management focused on providing public recreational opportunities which are compatible with resource management objectives.

• Issues

  TCAP management efforts have been in direct response to its local issues. Issues-based management is a means through which any number of partners may become involved in addressing an issue.

• Management Plan

  The updated Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Management Plan (pdf - 5.12 MB) has been approved. For more information on the management programs and issues at TCAP, please refer to the plan.