MANATEE -- An estimated 4,800 manatees swim the waters in Florida.
No one really knows how many of the slow-moving mammals were in the state 100 years ago, before human populations increased.
But if people boating Manatee and Sarasota county waterways during the upcoming Labor Day holiday can avoid striking the endangered manatees, it will not only keep the creatures’ numbers from falling, but will spare many from disfigurement, says Katie Tripp, director of science and conservation for Save the Manatee Club.
“Boating accidents are a huge problem for manatees,” Tripp said. “Most people look at the mortality numbers, which show just one death for both Manatee and Sarasota in 2011, and they think that things are OK. But pretty much all the manatees we see, even first-year calves, have horrific scars from watercraft strikes.”
Premium content for only $0.99
For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today.
#ReadLocal
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 5, there have been 57 manatee deaths in Florida due to collisions with the hulls and/or propeller blades of water craft, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website, http://research.myFWC.com/manatees/, which updates manatee mortality.
There were 57 deaths for all of last year.
This Labor Day, local boaters can help by holding aloft bright yellow banners stating, “Please Slow: Manatees Below,” when they see another boat coming near a manatee.
The 1.5-by-2 foot waterproof banners are provided free to the boating public in Florida by the Save the Manatee Club.
Requests for the free banners, signs and decals can be sent via email to education@savethemantee.org or by calling (800) 432-5646.
“As more and more boaters use the banners to communicate with each other on the waterways when manatees are sighted, I believe we can better work together to help prevent manatee injuries, suffering and death,” said Barbara Birdsey, the woman who came up with the yellow banner idea a few years ago while boating in the Jupiter Inlet/Hope Sound area.
Birdsey first waved a homemade cardboard sign to slow down boaters traveling close to manatees she had spotted in the area.
Even under ideal conditions, manatees are often difficult to spot in the water, Tripp said.
“I know it is hard to spot them unless you look for them,” Tripp said. “Neighbors in my subdivision say they never see them, while I see them all the time.”
The Save the Manatee Club suggests boaters wear polarized sunglasses to eliminate the glare of the sun and help see below the water’s surface. Look for a swirl on the water’s surface and a manatee’s tail or nose, according to club officials.
Comments