About Us

 The Marine Resources Council (MRC) has been combining good science with local volunteers to restore the Indian River Lagoon for 27 years.  With ten scientists and over 800 volunteers who are active every week, MRC restores over eight million square feet of fish habitat and plants over fifty thousand native plants every year. MRC works to create a consensus with the local community and businesses and has stopped the discharge of billions of gallons of sewage and industrial wastewater into the lagoon and raised millions of dollars to preserve sensitive fish nursery habitats. MRC helped establish the lagoon as an Estuary of National Significance bringing millions of dollars for restoration. Because of our huge volunteer effort and by matching with grants, a single membership donation of $20 results in over $4,000 in lagoon restoration. 

For over 25 years, the Marine Resources Council has focused on major issues involving the Indian River Lagoon including: flow from land drainage and its negative impact on estuarine productivity; loss of seagrasses and mangroves; coordinating local, state, or federal programs for the lagoon; and the need for public education to incorporate science into decision-making.
Today, plans for use of the Indian River Lagoon resources are incorporated into the 6 counties' and 33 cities' comprehensive plans, in addition to state management policy. The state legislature now regularly addresses lagoon issues and has dedicated funding to the Lagoon. Also, through the direct efforts of the MRC, the Indian River Lagoon received national recognition in 1990 as a National Estuary of Significance by the EPA.

We are grateful for your ongoing help, support, ideas, and enthusiasm.

People like you that care about the beauty of our Indian River Lagoon and want to help improve the quality of its ecosystems are the heart of the MRC.

We are organized as a Board of Directors and a staff who coordinate community efforts and educate the public about each of our major programs.

We are supported by our membership as well as many volunteers and friends not listed here. Leveraging the energy and resources of hundreds of volunteers in cooperation with other agencies is key to our efforts.