Florida Fish and Wildlife warns boaters of manatees' annual migration to warmer waters

MANATEE -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has issued a warning to boaters of the annual migration of Florida manatees to warmer waters.

In a release Wednesday, the government agency asked boaters to be aware of and to slow down for the aquatic mammals, which often rest or congregate underwater and can be difficult to see.

"The challenge is to see and identify where manatees are and to take caution to avoid manatee strikes," FWC spokesman Gary Morse said, adding it's the main reason for the FWC issuing this warning. "They are a threatened species and protecting them is important to Floridians for a variety of reasons, including environmental and economical."

According to Skip McPadden, dock master at the Bradenton Beach Marina, manatees are hard to detect in open waters.

"Most of the time, the only part of them that comes up is their little nose to get air. A lot of times you don't see them until you ride on them," he said.

McPadden said the manatees come into the marina, 402 Church Ave. N., Bradenton Beach.

"We're more aware of them at this time of year anyway," he said, adding he hasn't heard of any boaters accidentally injuring manatees this year.

According to the FWC, manatees, including mothers and their calves, swim along the state's rivers, bays and coastal areas in search of the warmer, more-stable temperatures found in freshwa

ter springs, man-made canals and power-plant outflows. To survive the winter cold, FWC officials say manatees must find warmer waters during their migration because they lack true blubber to insulate them from waters below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to FWC biologist Scott Calleson, there have been close to 60 manatee-striking accidents in Florida since January as the result of boat collisions.

"It's a fairly common source of injury and death," he said. "With the number of manatees that are out there and the number of boaters that are out there, they're going to come in close proximity frequently."

Calleson added it's hard to predict where exactly manatees will be, but they stay in reasonably shallow waters during this time and sometimes go into canals and basins.

FWC officials encourage those boating to wear polarized sunglasses while on the water and to look for circular water patterns. These patterns are also known as "manatee footprints" and indicate a manatee's presence below.

According to a release, boaters should also be careful when boating near shallow seagrass beds, where the aquatic mammals like to graze.

Luckily for Nate Weissman, captain for Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, he has not encountered any challenges regarding migrating manatees.

"In our area, we really don't have them in large groups. ... I really haven't noticed any challenges as far as having to avoid them," he said.

In all his experience, Weissman said he hasn't come across any manatees while boating. He said he sees them during the winter, mostly while fishing.

"They stay pretty tight to the residential areas. It kind of seems like they're absorbing the warmth from the seawalls," Weissman said.

This observation has made his job easier, Weissman said. There's less to watch out for.

"Every once in a while you'll hear a story of somebody having a close encounter, but I've never talked to anyone who's actually hit one," he said.

Anyone who spots a manatee that is injured or distressed in some form can call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Amaris Castillo, law enforcement/island reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7051. Follow her on Twitter @AmarisCastillo.

This story was originally published November 13, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Florida Fish and Wildlife warns boaters of manatees' annual migration to warmer waters."