A Healthy Estuary Provides More Than A Meal

We hope you enjoy the delicious fresh-caught seafood provided by Cortez commercial fishermen and our wonderful bayfront restaurants. Historic Cortez Village is located on the north side of Sarasota Bay. The bay is a nursery for many fish populations and has supported a fishing way of life for more than a century. We are committed to protecting the environment and heritage of this unique community, and we need your help. 

The things we do in and around the bay impact its health (and ours). Please use this guide to be a good steward of the Sarasota Bay estuary system. We suggest actions that you can take to protect the seagrass and mangroves, support the growth of fish, birds and other aquatic life, and reduce the toxic runoff that threatens our beautiful bay. Here's how we all can protect the bay and its amazing fishery:​