Ellen Raabe Resources fishing on a tidal river Recreational and commercial fishing depend on the highly productive coastal marshes.
Many fish spend a portion of their early life in the warm shallow creeks and flooded marsh grasses.
Algae and detrital material from the coastal marsh is the basis of the estuarine food chain. Birds, shellfish, turtles, snakes and other animals also make their homes in the coastal marshes. It may be found in the low marsh on smooth cordgrass. Below right, white pelicans make a temporary winter home on Mullet Key in the St. Martins Marsh Preserve near Crystal River, Florida.