Boaters Beware of Migrating Manatees, FWC Says

November marks Manatee Awareness Month, and in the name of these giant sea cows the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking boaters to watch out for manatees migrating to warmer waters, the agency announced Wednesday.

Florida manatees, the state's marine mammal, make their way to coastal waters every year around this time in search of warmer temperatures in freshwater springs, canals and power plant outflows. According to the FWC news release, rarely do these slow-moving herbivores venture into waters below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius). In spite of their heft, manatees lack blubber to insulate them from cold waters, so they must migrate to survive the winters.

Well known for their gentle, slow-moving nature, manatees often experience deadly run-ins with boaters. Camouflaged by their wrinkly grayish brown skin, manatees are often hard to spot, and since it's usually just their noses poking out of the water for air, boaters don't usually see them until it's too late.

"The challenge is to see and identify where manatees are and to take caution to avoid manatee strikes," FWC spokesman Gary Morse told the Bradenton Herald. "They are a threatened species and protecting them is important to Floridians for a variety of reasons, including environmental and economical."

Today's population of Florida manatees is estimated at 5,000 individuals, and this year alone about 60 of them have been struck by boats as a result of collisions, according to FWC biologist Scott Calleson.

"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."

Watercraft collisions may be their leading cause of death, but habitat loss follows as a close second.

Relatives of the elephant, manatees spend a lot of time grazing on seagrasses in shallow water. And like other grazing mammals, these aquatic creatures play an important role in influencing plant growth in the shallow rivers, bays, estuaries, canals and coastal waters they call home, notes Defenders of Wildlife. But as Florida's human population increases, development of waterways are quickly degrading their habitat.

Protections for Florida manatees were first enacted in 1893, and today they are protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

What You Can Do

According to the release, boaters are encouraged to wear polarized sunglasses while on the water to spot these 1,000-pound giants. Looking for circular water patterns, also known as "manatee footprints," is also a way to detect their presence below the surface. In addition, boaters should also be careful when steering towards shallow seagrass beds, where the aquatic mammals like to graze.

Anyone who spots an injured manatee is encouraged to contact wildlife authorities through the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.