Summary | Pensacola Bay | Apalachicola Bay | Tampa Bay | Charlotte Harbor |
Ten Thousand Islands | Florida Bay | Biscayne Bay | St. Lucie | Indian River Lagoon

The Pensacola Bay system in the western Florida Panhandle is one of the state's largest watersheds, and much of the area has been designated as an Aquatic Preserve by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Bay and its nearby waters are rich in seagrass beds and oyster bars, and there are numerous artificial and natural reefs offshore. Fishing occurs year-round, but it is particularly popular in summer months when warm water-preferring southern species migrate north. Popular species include redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon, bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel, flounder and some groupers and snappers. In 2005, retail sales associated with saltwater recreational fishing in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties totaled $125.5 million, supporting more than 2,200 jobs.

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Polluted runoff has been one of the most serious problems affecting the Pensacola Bay, although dredging and other activities associated with coastal development in the region also have affected habitats and fisheries. Since the mid-1970s, once-extensive seagrass beds have been all but eliminated in parts of the region, contributing to a dramatic decline in commercial shrimp and scallop harvests.

Sea-level rise in the coming decades is projected to reduce saltmarsh habitat in Pensacola Bay by 30 percent by 2050 and 70 percent by 2100, making remaining seagrass beds much more vulnerable to polluted runoff and increasing the risk of hypoxic waters and harmful algal blooms.

The loss of these habitats would have a significant impact on a number of the area's most important gamefish species, including redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon, gag grouper and flounder. Some of the area's coastal infrastructure is at risk as well. While the relatively steep slopes of dry land around Pensacola result in a relatively low loss rate for dry land (5 to 6 percent), some migration of the barrier islands is predicted with a two-thirds loss of ocean beach, which would limit opportunities to fish for popular surf species such as pompano.