Welcome to stop #4, our canoe dock – where we offer guided canoe excursions. Ask our greeter for more information about canoe trips.
The ELC is on
Now a lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from the ocean by a barrier island, with wind as the primary source of water movement. Our lagoon gets salt water from the Atlantic Ocean through six inlets, and fresh water from numerous fresh water rivers and streams and of course, the rain. This mixture of salt and fresh water is called brackish water.
Mullet are often seen “jumping” out of the water. Now one theory about why they do this? Well they are trying to get away from predators.
Can you spot a jumping mullet?
Mullet are fish that eat seagrasses, algae and detritus. Detritus is dead and decaying plant and animal matter. Lizardfish, needlefish and crabs prey on juvenile mullet, while larger mullet are subject to larger predators such as snook, snappers and dolphins. Juvenile mullet occupy the intertidal zone of estuaries where water temperatures and salinity fluctuate greatly. Older mullet inhabit deeper, more stable waters.
Mullet are an important commercial and recreational fishery species in the Indian River Lagoon. Adult mullet are line caught for food and for roe, while juveniles are commonly used as bait for larger sportfish.