No Winner
Our goal is to raise awareness about the health of our endangered Indian River Lagoon. This tournament brings together young people who are passionate about making our waterways clean and safe for all marine life. By drawing attention to this urgent cause, we will truly make a difference in saving the Indian River Lagoon for future generations.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Lines in the Lagoon is a fishing tournament planned by and created for youth. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the decline of the health of the Indian River Lagoon and to give area youth a way to be involved and to be a part of the solution to help save it.
This annual event is open to all the youth in the community and will hopefully help educate participants about sport fishing as well as the lagoon in a fun atmosphere. Immediately following the tournament, prizes will be awarded at a FUN casual dinner (dress: flip-flops and shorts). The dinner and other activities will be held at Walking Tree Brewery.
A SPECIAL PLACE
Because of its unique geographical location, the Indian River Lagoon is one of the most bio-diverse estuaries in North America and home to over 2100 species of plants and over 2200 species of animals. It provides habitat for the most diverse bird population anywhere in America and nearly one third of the nation’s manatees live or migrate through the lagoon annually.
It also serves as the spawning grounds for over 700 species of ocean and lagoon fish and shellfish populations. Ocean species of fish that spawn and mature in the Indian River Lagoon range as far north as the Chesapeake Bay.
The lagoon is an important economically as well. The total estimated annual economic value of the lagoon is $3.7 billion, supporting 15,000 full and part-time jobs and providing recreational opportunities for 11 million people per year.
THE LAGOON IS IN DECLINE
With no significant industry to blame, the documented decline of the Indian River Lagoon can be traced primarily to non point source pollution. Storm water runoff, sewage spills, leaky septic tanks, fertilizers and pesticides are just a few of the suspected sources of pollution.
Present day efforts to identify sources of pollution rely predominately on hand sampling that only provides a snapshot of the area sampled. This information is then distributed to the public in formats that are often difficult for non-scientists to understand.