FWC urges manatee awareness on Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend means that more boaters than ever will be sharing the waterways with Florida's endangered manatee. As of Sept. 2, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports 340 manatees have died in 2009, with 73 of those fatalities resulting from watercraft strikes. The FWC reminds boaters to be extra cautious and obey manatee speed zone signs as they head out for the holiday weekend on the state's waterways. During the warm weather, as manatees move throughout Florida's estuaries and rivers, boaters can help keep the manatees safe by following a few simple guidelines. "We ask boaters to stay in marked channels, wear polarized sunglasses to improve visibility below the water surface and obey posted boat-speed zones," said Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC's Imperiled Species Management Section. "Using poles, paddles or trolling motors when in close proximity to manatees and having someone onboard scan the water when under way can go a long way to protecting manatees from harm." Boaters should scan the water near or in front of the boat - looking for swirls resembling a large footprint, a repetitive line of half-moon swirls, a mud trail or a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the water's surface. "Manatee protection is a high priority for the FWC," said Carol Knox, manatee management-plan coordinator. "We are committed to conservation actions that reduce the number of human-caused manatee deaths." Enforcement of manatee protection zones and efforts to inform boaters about manatee conservation also is a priority for FWC's law enforcement officers. Besides slowing down, obeying speed zones and following the FWC's recommendations, residents can help manatees survive by purchasing the specialty manatee license plate. The funds collected for these plates go directly into manatee research and conservation. If you see a manatee in distress or a dead manatee, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). The FWC urges boaters to be on the lookout this weekend for manatees in coastal estuaries and rivers with access to either the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean.(FWC photo)