An interactive tour that includes deploying and retrieving the shrimp net, and identifying the catch before releasing it back into the wild.

Duration

2 Hours

About

An interactive exploration of Tiger Basin, our guests will be coached on the operation of an Otter Trawl shrimp net. Historically developed in Fernandina, this net is similar to the nets used by the commercial shrimp industry today. Deploying and retrieving the net is part of the hands-on experience. The catch will then be displayed in an on-board aquarium and each of the creatures will be identified and released back into the wild. We continue to explore the backwaters and tidal creeks that make up this estuary before returning to historic Fernandina Beach.

Amelia Island is surrounded by wilderness. To the south, Big Talbot, Little Talbot, and Fort George encompass the Timucuan Ecological Preserve. To the north, you’ll find Cumberland Island National Seashore and Fort Clinch State Park that makes up about ten percent of Amelia Island. Just to the west are the Tiger Islands and Tiger Basin, most of which are part of the Fort Clinch Aquatic Preserve. It is in this setting that Amelia River Cruises will offer our Shrimping Eco Tour.

The backwaters and tidal creeks that make up this estuary are also part of the St. Mary’s River Basin connecting Tiger Basin with the Okefenokee Swamp. The oyster beds, mud flats, and thousands of acres of marsh grass in Tiger Basin are a critical part of our local environment. Salt marshes are the most productive Eco systems on earth, providing a nursery for all of the sea creatures that are native to our waters and providing a rich source of food for others. The summer months are most productive and our waters team with life.

We may witness the annual arrival of our summer guests. This is the time of year that our local dolphins are giving birth and we are visited by the manatees that migrate from the springs in central Florida into the salt water to mate and give birth. Sea turtles also visit and nest on our sandy shores. An abundance of shore birds are always seen wading along the shore and feeding. Egrets, herons, spoonbills, ospreys and many others are all part of this wilderness. Today we understand more about this critical habitat than ever. We hope that sharing this knowledge with our visitors will help to protect and sustain the viability of this environment for all of the creatures that surround this incredibly fascinating part of our world.