Numerous Studies And Reports Have Revealed Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island, Florida In The Past Few Years. One Of Those Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Has Noted That Several Small Groups Of American Crocodile Were Found In The Mangrove Swamps And Along Low Energy Mangrove-lined Bays, Creeks And Inland Swamps From Sanibel Island At The North End Of The Study Area South To The Collier Seminole State Park.With Those Numerous Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island, The USFWS Has Developed Species And Habitat-level Recommendations For The Protection Of The American Crocodile In The Draft Multi-Species Recovery Plan. The Recommendations Were Actually Considered After The Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Knowing That The American Crocodile Is One Of The Two Species Of Crocodilians Endemic To The United States In The Past Few Years, But Is Now Becoming Extinct Due To An Increase In Crocodile Mortality. The USFWS Recommendations Which Were Passed After The Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Generally Include Protecting And Enhancing Existing Colonies Of American Crocodiles; Acquiring Or Protecting Habitat For Crocodiles; Reducing Crocodile Mortality; Continuing Assessment Of Pesticide And Heavy Metal Contamination Levels In Crocodile Eggs; Protecting Nesting, Basking, And Nursery Habitat; Restoring Suitable Habitat; And Managing Crocodile Habitat. With The Consideration Of These Recommendations, The GAPS Of Florida Game And Fresh Water Fish Commission Who Once Handled Reports Of Some Of The Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Has Started Modeling A Potential Crocodile Habitat By Isolating Mangrove, Coastal Salt Marsh, And Freshwater Marsh Cover Types Within The Known Breeding Range Of The Species In Sanibel Island. The Study Conducted By GAPS After The Release Of The Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Indicated That It Is Very Important That The Current Crocodile Habitat Quantity And Quality Not Be Reduced Because Of The Small Population Size As Well As Limited Geographic Distribution.However, Although Certain Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Were Shown, Many People Still Believe That The American Crocodile Is Probably Never Common In Sanibel Island. Urbanization In The Area Has In Fact Substantially Altered Much Of The Occupied Habitat, And Todays Human Activities In Sanibel Such As Camping, Fishing And Boating May Increasingly Disturb The American Crocodile. This Is Perhaps One Of The Reasons That These Days Only Few Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Were Taken As Some Of The Population Decline Especially On The Eastern Coast. This Population Decline Has Also Been Attributed To The Changes In The Timing As Well As Quantity Of The Islands Freshwater Flows. Another Factor That Has Probably Caused The Decline In Crocodile Population So As To The Number Of Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island Could Be The Historic Alterations Of The Natural Flow Which Is Known To Affect Plant And Animal Communities In The Estuarine Environment. But Still, With The Aim To Protect The American Crocodile Species So As To Develop Further Documented American Crocodile Sightings In Sanibel Island, The Authority Has Proposed Maintenance Of Flow Ways, Which Is For Them Essential To Hatching Crocodile Survival.
