Apalachee Bay is a 300-square-mile bay or estuary situated in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, indenting Florida's northern coast. It spans Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor counties, receiving freshwater drainage from the Ochlockonee, St. Marks, Econfina, and Aucilla rivers. This creates a nutrient-rich brackish environment characterized by extensive salt marshes, seagrass flats, and a marshy coastline that forms part of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The bay's depth ranges from 6 to 20 feet with several shoals and rocks, some of which are bare at low water. This undeveloped coastline, part of Florida's "Forgotten Coast" or Nature Coast, is largely preserved, offering a pristine landscape of grass flats, salt marshes, oyster bars, and tidal creeks that support an incredibly diverse and productive fishery.