There are three species of manatee and all are either threatened or endangered. The West Indian and Amazonian manatee are endangered, and the West African manatee is threatened, according to the Endangered
Species Act. The United States has worked hardest to conserve the only manatee residing in U.S. waters, the Florida
manatee, sub-species of the West Indian manatee. It is found in the southeastern United States, primarily in waters off the coast of Florida. Its population consists of about 3,000 animals, and it is one of the most endangered animals living in U.S. waters. Fortunately, most scientists agree that the number of Florida manatees has risen in the last twenty years, although not by much.
Manatee protection
The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Department of the Interior is responsible for manatee recovery at the federal level. They developed a manatee research program in the mid-1970s, called the Sirenia Project, and a Manatee Recovery Plan in 1989, which was updated in 1996. One task of the plan is to develop site-specific manatee protection plans at the local level. The cooperation of other groups has largely aided the recovery program. The state of Florida has been greatly involved in manatee conservation since the 1980s, and in 1989, the state legislature established a Manatee Trust Fund, which has become the principal funding source for manatee recovery. The fund makes money from a share of boat regulation fees, a specialized manatee license plate, and voluntary donations, and generates about three to four million dollars annually. This successful recovery plan is still working to protect Florida manatees.
Threats to manatees
Since 1974, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) has kept records on manatee mortality. Almost one-third of all known manatee deaths are caused by human factors, and most human-related deaths are due to watercraft collisions. Since 1974 over 1400 manatee deaths have been attributed to watercraft collisions. Up to eighty-five percent of all manatees that have been identified in Florida are recognized by their scar patterns. The large majority of watercraft collisions involve recreational vessels. Manatees are difficult to see floating in the water, and most drivers, unaware of their presence, unknowingly run these animals over.
Aside from watercraft collisions, the largest amount of human-related mortality is due to entrapment in floodgates and canal locks. Since 1974, over 190 manatees have become entrapped in these gates and died.
Entanglement in fishing line or rope is another major threat. Flippers that are used for swimming, eating, and nursing can become amputated by entanglement. Monofilament fishing line takes 600 years to biodegrade. The good news is that it can be recycled. Dispose of fishing line properly.
Destruction and alteration of manatee habitat may be an even greater threat. For more than a decade, the population of Florida has grown at a rate of 1,000 people per day. Furthermore, over the past two decades, the number of manatees that winter in natural and artificial warm water refuges has increased. All of those manatees congregated in such small areas can increase the spread of disease, and the affects of localized red tides or pollution events. The artificial refuges are maintained by industrialized nuclear power plants which are at risk of operational or economic problems that can lead to temporary or permanent shut-down, leaving the manatees in the cold with no place to go.
Current measures of protection
The Manatee Recovery Plan has focused on reducing the aforementioned threats to manatees. The main focus has been on lowering traffic speed in manatee-frequented areas, and in enforcing those speed limits. The participants have also sought to reduce the harassment of manatees and the feeding and watering of wild manatees. Researchers are working to develop a large-scale manatee die-off contingency plan, and new devices that would prevent deaths in floodgates and canal locks.
What you can do
Do not feed or water a wild manatee! Manatees have been finding their own food and water for thousands of years. They do not need our help. When you feed any wild animal, including the manatee, you bring it closer to its worst enemy, man. In the case of manatees, feeding and watering attracts manatees to marinas where they are more likely to be hit by a boat or become entangled in fishing line or ropes.
If you spot an injured manatee do not try to help it. Call 1-888-404-FWCC and trained manatee assessors can help the animal. You may injure the animal or yourself if you try to be a hero.
Dolphin Research Center’s manatee rescue team works closely with the FWCC and responds to calls for manatees in distress in the Florida Keys.
 Copyright © 2007 Dolphin Research Center
Information Can Be Used with Proper Citing
Dolphin Research Center, 58901 Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, FL 33050-6019
305-289-1121 www.dolphins.org
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