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Tag: Save the Manatee Club

Manatee count delayed by COVID-19

Manatee count delayed by COVID-19

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Manatees, Outdoors.

Florida’s manatees won’t be counted this winter due to COVID-19, with the next count slated for December 2021, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Synoptic surveys are normally held in the coldest months of the year, January or February, but social distancing is impossible in the small aircraft used to spot manatees in their warm-water winter habitats, such as power plant outflows and natural springs, according to the FWC.

The last synoptic survey was conducted between Jan. 28 and Feb. 2, 2019, and reported 5,733 manatees sighted in the state.

Information sought in manatee harassment case

 

Someone carved the word “Trump” on the back of a protected manatee discovered Sunday in the headwaters of the Homosassa River in Citrus County.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is searching for information on the person or persons responsible for the harassment of the marine mammal.

Manatees seek sanctuary in winter months in the spring-fed waters along Citrus County’s coastline, making them accessible to swimmers and boaters.

The marine mammals are protected by the Endangered Species Act, and harassment is a federal criminal offense punishable by a $50,000 fine and/or up to one year in federal prison.

Anyone with knowledge of the incident is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Information will be forwarded to the USFWS.

The FWC’s new and preferred method of counting manatees is the abundance survey, which uses mathematical and statistical formulas to extrapolate an estimated number of manatees based on those actually counted.

“In the future, we will be relying on an abundance survey and less on the synoptic survey to monitor trends in population size,” FWC public information specialist Michelle Kerr said.

Only two abundance surveys have been made, in 2011-12 and in 2015-16, according to FWC. The latest survey reported an estimated 8,810 manatees, with 4,810 on the west coast and 4,000 on the east coast.

After the survey, in 2017, manatees were removed from the federal endangered species list and downlisted to “threatened.”

According to the FWC’s manatee mortality statistics, 619 manatees died in Florida waters in 2020, including at least 20 in Manatee County. Boating strikes are historically the primary cause of death for the state’s manatees.

“Boating is still a critically important factor for manatees, but sadly – and one that as an aquatic biologist and someone working in the field for about 50 years I really didn’t think we were going to see – is the levels of concern for the habitat itself,” said Patrick Rose, an aquatic biologist and executive director of the Save the Manatee Club. “With all the red tide, brown tides, blue-green algal blooms and just the problems that Florida is facing in terms of water quality and quantity, it’s starting to have a very significant impact on loss of seagrass and food resources for manatees.”

Watch out for manatees on the move

Watch out for manatees on the move

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Manatees, Outdoors.

When the first cold front hits this month, manatees will be on the move, heading towards warmer waters in Florida’s springs and near power plant outflows.

During November – Manatee Awareness Month – the Save The Manatee Club asks boaters to respect manatee slow speed zones as the marine mammals are covering more ground than usual, increasing their chances of being hit by boats.

Boats are often deadly to manatees, which prompted former Florida Gov. Bob Graham to establish November as Manatee Awareness Month in 1979. In 1981, Graham co-founded the not-for-profit Save the Manatee Club with singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

For free shoreline property signs, boating banners, decals, waterway cards and educational posters from Save the Manatee Club, email education@savethemanatee.org or call 1-800-432-5646.

So far this year, 423 manatees have died in Florida waters, 113 from boats, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Of those, 15 were in Manatee County waters, including two boats deaths in waters off Bradenton Beach.

Last year, 824 manatees died in Florida waters, 124 from boats.

To help protect the state’s official marine mammal, follow these tips:

  • Obey posted signs for manatee slow-speed zones.
  • Wear polarized sunglasses to see manatees in your path.
  • If you observe a manatee mating herd – several manatees gathering as males vie to mate with a female – watch from at least 100 feet away. Coming any closer might disrupt the mating or endanger you; adult manatees typically weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
  • Never feed or water manatees as they will become habituated to people, which could put them at risk of injury.
  • Stow trash and line when underway. Marine debris that blows overboard can become ingested by or entangled around manatees.

Contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) if you see:

  • a manatee with a pink or red (fresh) wound.
  • a manatee tilting to one side, unable to submerge or seems to have trouble breathing.
  • a manatee calf by itself with no adults around for an extended period of time.
  • anyone harassing a manatee in any way.
  • boaters speeding in a protected area.
  • a manatee entangled in monofilament, crab-trap lines or other debris.
  • a dead manatee.

November is Manatee Awareness Month

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Manatees, Outdoors.

It’s been a tough couple of years for Florida manatees.

Coast Lines logo - border

So far this year, 714 manatees have died, compared to 538 in 2017, out of about 6,000 estimated to live in Florida waters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Red tide has been active in Gulf and inland waters in Southwest Florida since last October, killing 67 of the 714 manatees, with red tide suspected in the deaths of 121 others. Nine were found in Manatee County.

The red tide neurotoxin causes manatees to have seizures that can result in drowning. If rescued in time, most manatees can recover, so report a sick manatee (muscle twitches, lack of coordination, labored breathing, an inability to maintain body orientation) immediately to the FWC Hotline at 1-888-404-3922, or email Tip@MyFWC.com. Use VHF Channel 16 on a marine radio.

To survive, manatees in Florida waters also have to avoid eating red tide-poisoned seagrass, flee cold water, escape from people who climb on them and ride on their backs, and dodge boat propellers.

Last year, 107 manatees died from boat strikes in Florida last year, with 98 so far this year, according to the FWC.

Boats accidents prompted former Florida Gov. Bob Graham to make November Manatee Awareness Month in 1979.

As the official state marine mammals head from the Gulf of Mexico, rivers and bays to the warmer winter waters of springs, boaters should be careful to note speed zones that take effect in November.

To help protect manatees, follow these tips:

  • Obey posted signs for manatee slow-speed zones.
  • Wear polarized sunglasses to see manatees in your path.
  • If you observe a manatee mating herd – several manatees gathered as males vie to mate with a female – watch from at least 100 feet away. Coming any closer might disrupt the mating or endanger you; adult manatees typically weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
  • Never feed or water manatees as they will become habituated to people, which could put them at risk of injury.
  • Stow trash and line when underway. Marine debris that blows overboard can become ingested by or entangled around manatees.

Contact the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922):

  • If you see a manatee with a pink or red (fresh) wound.
  • If the manatee is tilting to one side, unable to submerge or seems to have trouble breathing.
  • If you see someone separating a mother from her calf.
  • If you see a manatee calf by itself with no adults around for an extended period of time.
  • If you see someone harassing a manatee in any way.
  • If you see boaters speeding in a protected area.
  • If you see a manatee entangled in monofilament, crab-trap lines or other debris.
  • If you see a dead manatee.

Free shoreline property signs, boating banners, decals, waterway cards and educational posters are available at Save the Manatee Club.

Red tides, lost summers

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.

By Katie Tripp, Ph.D.

Director of Science & Conservation, Save the Manatee Club

Martin County, located along Florida’s southeast coast, adopted the term “Lost Summer” in 2013 to describe the disaster caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee into coastal communities. Posted signs warned against swimming, fishing or otherwise coming in contact with the water that was covered in guacamole-thick algae. The moniker was unfortunately applicable again in 2016 and now again in 2018.

On Florida’s west coast, red tide has killed nearly 1,100 manatees over the last 23 years, and because blooms now occur so frequently, they are no longer characterized as unusual mortality events for these protected marine mammals. The organism that causes red tide is naturally-occurring. The input of human-generated pollution into our coastal waters, which causes that organism to bloom and wreak havoc, is far from natural. The same is true for the various algae blooms that have occurred in the Indian River Lagoon in recent years, resulting in the deaths of manatees, dolphins, fish, and seabirds and the loss of tens of thousands of acres of vitally-important seagrass.

Florida’s waters are in crisis, and we need leaders who will protect our natural environment. Too many of our decision-makers and residents continue to be in denial about our state’s long-running addiction to growth at any cost and the toll it takes on our environment. Politicians have won election and re-election by campaigning on lower taxes and reduced oversight, but they have neglected the need to protect and invest in our natural environment. Too often, voters make decisions without having properly researched candidates, or they fail to vote at all. Until more citizens engage in their democracy and vote with the future in mind, Floridians can expect continued lost summers and lost opportunities to fix our ailing waterways.

Dr. Tripp has been Save the Manatee Club’s Director of Science and Conservation since May of 2008. She received her Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Sciences from the University of Florida, where she conducted research on manatee physiology.