CHARLOTTE HARBOR, Fla. (SNN TV) – The federal government is giving $1.2 million to boost conservation in Charlotte Harbor.
The Charlotte County Government said the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is awarding this money with a goal is to implement a research plan to guide decisions on place-based recreational fishery conservation in Charlotte Harbor.
The award period runs from October 2023 through September 2028.
NOAA said this project matters because Charlotte Harbor is a large estuary in southwest Florida where recreational fishing contributes over $400 million to the local economy each year. The northern half of the estuary includes important nursery habitat for snook and tarpon.
This is part of a larger national RESTORE Science Program from NOAA to support long-term sustainability in the Gulf of Mexico.