RECON

River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network

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Weather Stations Update

Originally deployed in 2012, thanks to funding from the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) through a grant from Lee County, the RECON weather stations became the first weather stations in this area located directly over the water. Designed to give researchers and boaters near real-time information on the current over water weather conditions, they quickly became the go to weather source for the local boating community. ...

The River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) is a network of water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee river and estuary to provide real-time, water quality data to scientists, policy makers, and the general public.

The extensive watersheds of the Caloosahatchee (1,400 square miles) and Lake Okeechobee (4,400 square miles) each contribute water that flows into the Caloosahatchee estuary and the Gulf of Mexico. Water quality is affected by both Lake Okeechobee discharges and runoff from the Caloosahatchee watershed. Over time, these watersheds have changed from low-nutrient loading marshes and wetlands to high loading urban and agricultural land uses. Nutrients increase turbidity and decrease concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO). In addition, excess nutrients fuel nuisance algal blooms. Losses of low-nutrient adapted communities, such as seagrasses have contributed to changes in fish, crustacean and marine mammal communities.

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Boater Forecast

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Shell Point

Lng: -82.007988 Lat: 26.522564Back to site data

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Description

Shell Point is where the Caloosahatchee meets San Carlos Bay. It was once home to large oyster reefs, spanning the width of the Caloosahatchee. It is estimated that 90% of the oyster reefs were destroyed by road construction and the combined effect of droughts and floods. Oysters are tolerant of large swings in salinity but cannot survive under extended periods that are either too fresh or too saline.

Salinity in the estuary has always fluctuated by season, precipitation and tides. However, unnatural, extended releases of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee or too little freshwater during the dry season severely degraded most of the oyster reefs.

Deborah and John La Gorce generously supported equipment and installation of RECON at Shell Point.

Additional Description

Oyster Bed Restoration — Restored Oyster Beds

Oyster reef habitats were once quite common along Florida’s southwestern coast based on excavations of shell mounds or ‘middens’oyster reef and historical records dating back to the 1800s. Shallow subtidal and intertidal oyster reefs were once dominant components of the Caloosahatchee estuary, and remnant populations can still be found in the River as well as in Pine Island Sound and in and around Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Oyster reefs create complex three-dimensional, reef structure attracting numerous invertebrates and finfish. These "ecosystem engineers" support numerous documented species by FGCU researchers (Volety and Tolley,2003) such as the mud crabs such as Panopeus simpsoni and Eurypanopeus depressus, numerous filter-feeding porcelain crabs such as Petrolisthes armatus, snapping shrimp, Alpheus heterochaelis, and crown conch, Melongena corona. Reefs also harbora diverse community of resident fish such as Florida blenny, Chasmodes saburrae, skilletfish, code goby, Gobiosoma robustum, Gobiesox strumosus, feather blenny, Hypsoblennius hentz and Gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta. Larger predators include species such as black drum, Pogonias cromis. In 2008, the SCCF Marine Laboratory and City of Sanibel Natural Resources department staff initiated a pilot study to assess potential for oyster reef restoration in Clam Bayou and Tarpon Bay. During 2008 and 2009 we will be assessing oyster recruitment, mapping existing oyster populations and adjacent seagrass (primarily Halodule) populations in Clam Bayou. Funding is currently being sought to expand these studies in association with enhanced flow associated with the addition of culverts in 2006 and the opening of Blind Pass in late 2008 or early 2009.