Boaters: Watch for manatees this Memorial Day Weekend
The summer boating season is about to kick off in full force. Boats aplenty will be cruising along Florida’s lakes, bays, and channels this long Memorial Day weekend. Save the Manatee Club urges recreational boaters to be alert for manatees who may be traveling, resting, feeding, and possibly mating in the same areas boaters frequent.
“The warm weather that draws Floridians and tourists to the state’s waterways and beaches also prompts manatees to mate,” said Dr. Katie Tripp, Director of Science and Conservation for the Club. “Groups of manatees that typically consist of one female and multiple males are called “mating herds.”
Dr. Tripp explains that manatees often gravitate toward shallow water areas, and may appear stranded on sandbars and beaches. “If you see a mating herd, keep a safe distance and do not approach, touch, or disturb these manatees. Approaching a group of large marine mammals is never a safe thing to do, but when they are distracted by romance, it is even more unsafe.” Dr. Tripp further cautions that human disturbance can disrupt breeding activity, which is illegal.
Save the Manatee Club produces bright yellow, waterproof boating banners and provides them free to Florida’s boating community to help warn other boaters when manatees are sighted in the area. Videographer and Crystal River resident, Tracy Colson, uses the banner when she kayaks.
“Manatees are hard to see, and even more so if you’re on a motorboat, going fast. Paddlers tend to see so much more because of their slow pace. By carrying the “Please Slow Manatees Below” banner in their canoe or kayak, they can easily alert boaters to the presence of manatees they may not otherwise know are there,” said Colson.
The Club also produces and distributes free shoreline property signs and boating decals with the message to “Slow Please,” and both feature the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s hotline number for reporting manatees in distress.
The increased public awareness and education efforts coincide with Endangered Species Day on May 20, and National Boating Safety Week, which runs May 21 through May 27.
Save the Manatee Club encourages boaters this Memorial Day weekend and beyond, to follow all posted boat speed regulations, slow down if manatees are in the vicinity, and stay in deep water channels when possible. If you see an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or a manatee who is being harassed, call the FWC at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. Boaters should also call this number if they accidentally strike a manatee.
Recreational boaters are advised to review and carry up-to-date navigation charts onboard their vessels to help avoid shallow areas where manatees feed and rest. Boating guides that feature manatee speed zones for each regulated county are available from FWC and should also be reviewed prior to boating and kept onboard for future reference. More “Manatee Protection Tips for Boaters” can be found on the Club’s website at www.savethemanatee.org/boatertips.htm
The free banners, decals & signs can be obtained by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).
For more information on manatees, the Adopt-A-Manatee® program, or to sign up for the Club’s free e-newsletter, visit the Club’s website at www.savethemanatee.org.