Charlotte Harbor is located in sub-tropical climate and its watershed contains large tracts of undeveloped areas which provide habitat for a wide array of rare plants and animals. The area supports a wide variety of economic uses such as tourism, ranching, citrus farming, phosphate mining, vegetable crops, and residential and urban development. More than 275 species of shellfish are found in the Charlotte Harbor estuaries, including oysters, clams, and scallops. However, large areas are closed to shell fish harvesting due to bacterial contamination and periodic red tide events. The total coastal population increases by more than 30 percent during the wintertime, due to seasonal business and vacationing tourists.
Recreational fishing is a major attraction in both inland and coastal areas of the watershed.
The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Reef Ball Foundation, Inc., and the Charlotte Harbor Reefs Association formed a partnership to improve existing water quality and creating new juvenile fishery habitats in these residential canals, as well as under piers around the mouth of the Peace River and in the main body of Charlotte Harbor. The partnership chose to construct and deploy five hundred Reef Balls in specified areas. Reef Balls are made of concrete, placed on the seafloor bottom, and provide a habitat for juvenile fish. Inc. Three types of sites were chosen for fish habitat improvement through the introduction of Reef Balls, including existing artificial reefs, under private docks, and under public piers. 210 Reef Balls were placed in groups of three in the harbor on an existing permitted artificial reef site.