Marine Life in Charlotte Harbor
Visitors to the Charlotte Harbor area that are considering a home likely do not have any idea of what an amazing waterway this is. I fell into that same bracket when I came here 15 years ago to buy a house. What was important to me was to have my boat at my dock and important to my wife was a pool (which she eventually did get J).
As my boating life evolved I quickly learned that the harbor is a host to more marine creatures than you can imagine. On a normal boating day you can expect to see many dolphin, the flipper kind! Often, they jump in unison just like at SeaWorld and sometimes catch a fish and throw it back and forth. When fishing it is sometimes hard to release a fish because dolphin will approach the boat waiting for an easy catch!
Manatees are always around if you know where to look as well. They are extra friendly and very curious and often swim up to the boat as if wanting to be petted. You will see them in your canal systems as well. A very popular hang out for Manatees is at the back end of Burnt Store Marina in the boat ramp area. They hang there all winter and sometimes all year.
The population of stingrays in our area is staggering. There are a variety of species from cownose rays to the spotted eagle rays. Some are solo travelers and at times there are hundreds of rays swimming in unison….it is quite a beautiful sight. In the spring you often see the spotted eagle ray jump sometimes 5 to 8 feet out of the water!
The variety of tropical birds is also amazing with Egrets, Herons, Roseate Spoonbills and Ibis all calling our harbor home. Our waters are clean and uncongested, very different than many other areas. With that comes a bounty of marine life that never ceases to amaze me. As a fisherman I often throw a cast net (which throws a circular web onto the water’s surface). It is not unusual to catch tropical species such as seahorses, many crab species, pipefish, trumpet fish, box fish and a host of other species you would normally expect. Normally, I am cast netting for sardines or herring for fish bait. At certain times of the year I even come up with sand dollars in my net!
THIS BEAUTIFUL SEAHORSE WAS HANGING ON TO MY CRAB TRAP! PHOTOGRAPHED AND RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 15, 2016
The harbor also has a healthy population of shrimp that are absolutely delicious and intrinsically sweet. You can catch your own but it is a night time activity that requires special equipment. Much easier to go to Fisherman’s Village and visit the shrimp boat Iron Horse!
I am from the Chesapeake Bay area and was raised on blue claw crabs. I thought I would be giving crabs up and actually gave all my Old Bay Seasoning to my friends. As it turns out, Charlotte Harbor has a remarkable crab fishery! They are easy to catch once you know the basics. Fifteen years ago you could not find Old Bay in the stores and we shipped it down however now more have caught on and Old Bay is easy to find.
