While incidental entanglement is a problem for all three manatee species, it seems to play the largest role for African manatees. If you are a boater, please wear polarized sunglasses while operating a boat, and slow down and observe all manatee speed zones and caution areas. info@swimmingwiththemanatees.com, Swimming with the Manatees boasts the best water adventure in Crystal River, Florida with, Swimming with the Manatees – Crystal River, Florida, © Copyright 2020 Captain Mike's Swimming with the Manatees, of 49 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Crystal River. Underwater discharge pipes are super hot hangout spots in the manatee world. Are There Any Accommodations near Captain Mike’s Swimming With the Manatees? Given the array of threats working against them, manatees will need all the help they can get to avoid slipping any closer to the brink. Check the MRRP's map to find the nearest bin location. Keeping your distance may be more immediately important for motorboats and jet skis than for canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards, but paddlers should still be careful about getting overly chummy with a threatened wild animal. This can happen to both adults and juveniles, and unless humans find them in time to help, entangled manatees generally have slim chances of survival. During the rest of the year, manatees must face even more dangerous encounters with boats every day. You also should not touch a manatee because it is against the law. Don't touch manatees, surround them, approach them, or make loud noises near them. Florida shoreline property owners can also request a sign by calling 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) or by sending an email to education@savethemanatee.org. Fish and Wildlife Service / Flickr / CC BY-2.0, 10 Endangered Species the Trump Administration May Kill Off Entirely, Why the Snow Leopard Population Is Decreasing, World's Most Endangered Zebras Born at Florida Wildlife Refuge, 11 Things You Might Not Know About Giraffes, The American Bison Was Driven to the Brink of Extinction, Florida Manatees Can Survive for at Least Another Century, 8 Fast Facts You Didn't Know About Cheetahs, Cats Are Going Extinct: 12 Most Endangered Feline Species, Meet 7 New Endangered Species on the IUCN Red List, 13 Amazing Turtles to Know for World Turtle Day. With the help of many concerned manatee supporters, including caring boaters, Save the Manatee Club has stopped these selfish actions in the past, but we remain vigilant if we are going to help protect manatees from these unacceptable dangers they must face every day. Manatees have long struggled to coexist with humans, and today all three manatee species are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As a result, manatees lose their living spaces and need to move to new areas. Try not to pass over manatees, and don't separate mothers from their calves. In the Amazon, manatee calves who survive entanglement in fishing nets are sometimes kept alive to be sold as pets. Click here to see our COVID-19 Precautionary Measures. 1 threat for manatees in the Amazon, where hunters typically catch the animals with harpoons, then sell their meat and other parts for local consumption. All State Mammals - All Aquatic-Life Symbols. For instance, in Florida alone, up to 87 manatees die every year due to human activities, especially collision with boats. Ordinarily, touching a manatee is punishable under the Manatee Sanctuary Act, with a fine of up to $500 and/or a jail term of up to 60 days. Travis writes about Citrus County in Florida being the only place where you can swim legally with manatees in the wild in North America. It is important to remember that the best practice for interacting with all kinds of wild animals is passive observation. In fact, the IUCN cites illegal hunting as the No. The gestation time is 12 months. Such actions include attempting to hook, hold, snag, grab, hit, ride or punch a manatee. Educated and watchful boaters are key to protecting manatees. A waterproof manatee protection tips card and boat decal with a number for reporting injured manatees are also available. Due to their slow speed, high buoyancy, and tendency to feed on seagrass in shallow water, manatees often have little time or space to escape fast-moving boats and jet skis. In Brevard County, Citizens for Florida Waterways (CFW), another boating special interest group, has also proposed legislation to weaken the Manatee Sanctuary Act and the removal of rules, such as slow-speed zones, that protect manatees. Robert Bonde / U.S. Geological Survey / Flickr / Public Domain. As a result, they may be exposed to cold water and suffer cold-stress syndrome — a condition that causes severe stress, injury and death in extreme cases. Boating can be fun and exciting for Florida residents and visitors, but that fun can come at a dangerous price to boaters and manatees alike who must share Florida’s often crowded waterways. Your goal should be to watch from a distance and for a limited amount of time, without drawing attention to yourself. ... since they could create a dangerous entanglement hazard for manatees … Look for a pattern of ripples on the surface, known as "manatee footprints," caused by the animal's tail as it swims. They’re slow-moving, peaceful creatures that tend to flock toward human activity in search of warmth. A swirl or flat spot is created when the manatee swims. If a manatee responds to your presence, you are already too close, the FWC warns. A free Manatee Alert App for iPhones and iPads is available at iTunes and notifies boaters when they are approaching manatee speed zones and helps facilitate the reporting of injured manatees and manatee harassment. Humans have a history of hunting manatees, but today, manatees are more threatened by human ignorance and carelessness than deliberate predation. During the 2016-2017 winter season at Blue Spring State Park, SMC Manatee Specialist Wayne Hartley observed 59 individual manatees with 66 new boat strike injuries. Even if you only see one, it might be traveling with others — like a calf — that are out of view. Contact Save the Manatee Club via email at education@savethemanatee.org or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). Whether you live near a manatee habitat or just take a vacation there, you can assist their recovery by making even a minimal effort to clean up hazardous trash. Even if you don't see manatees, avoid traveling through seagrass beds or other shallow areas where they might feed or rest, and obey all posted waterway signs, including no-wake zones. Here's a closer look at the major threats humans pose to manatees. Here are a few ways humans can lend a hand. David Hinkel / U.S. There are still a few thousand individuals in each manatee species, but their population estimates are often hindered by scant data, and even the best-case scenarios don't provide much buffer from the threats they face. Read Reviews | Write a Review, 654 Fort Island Trail But getting accustomed to human touch and being around people could increase the danger significantly since the animals most likely would lose their natural fear of humans and boats. Jim Reid / U.S. Many drown, and those who manage to surface for air may still be unable to move around easily enough to survive for very long. The gestation period of manatees lasts about year, they average only one calf every two to five years, and both males and females need about five years to reach sexual maturity. Manatees can become confused by multiple boats, sometimes swimming away from one and into the path of another. Save the Manatee Club has produced a new video that focuses on the dangers manatees face from watercraft and to illustrate how incredibly amazing, but sad, it is that manatees survive grave injuries and are still able to live. 10 Amazing but Endangered Shark Species: How Many Do You Know? This company is a complete rip off and to boot put you and your children in a dangerous situation that could lead to drowning. That means they aren't officially endangered, which is one category closer to extinction, but it doesn't mean they're out of danger. Crystal River, With few natural predators, manatees didn't face much selective pressure for speed or defensive measures during most of their evolutionary history. Manatees are in danger from people virtually everywhere they live, but the risks can vary widely depending on the species and location. Although manatees are often well protected within their critical warm water winter sanctuaries, these sanctuaries are a relatively small percentage of their overall habitat, and manatees must leave them repeatedly to forage. Russell McLendon is a science journalist who covers a wide range of topics about the natural environment, humans, and other wildlife. Slight human actions can induce extreme consequences for them. It features manatees that have survived boat strikes and gives tips on what can be done to do help protect them. After much hard work, site-specific boat speed zones for manatee protection have been implemented in portions of 13 “key” manatee counties in order to help reduce manatee injury and deaths. Deforestation in the Amazon also threatens water quality in manatee habitats, as does pollution from agricultural pesticides and mercury used in gold exploration. according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program. Development also raises the demand for groundwater supplies, threatening the warm springs where cold-intolerant manatees seek refuge in winter. Harassment means any activity capable of altering their natural behavior and creating the likelihood of danger for the animals. If you see a manatee, one of the easiest ways to help is by giving it plenty of room. Of the three, only the West Indian manatee is split into subspecies, and both of those — the Florida manatee and Caribbean manatee — are listed as endangered. Archaeological evidence suggests people have hunted manatees for thousands of years, and although some manatee populations may have adapted by growing more secretive and cautious, that hasn't been enough to protect them in modern times from fast-growing human populations. A group called Save Crystal River had petitioned to have all State of Florida manatee protection zones removed from Kings Bay in Crystal River, Florida, and would like to see reduced protections under Florida’s Manatee Sanctuary Act. FL 34429 USA, Phone: (352) 571–1888 Doing less to protect them is not an option – we must do more. The restrictions and punishments may seem harsh for a simple touch but considering the magnitude of harm inflicted upon the animals by humans, they aren’t. About half of all deaths among adult Florida manatees can be attributed to human activities, according to the IUCN, and the main threat comes from watercraft. More manatee protection tips for boaters can be found at savethemanatee.org/boatertips. If you're fishing in Florida, take advantage of the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP), which aims to encourage recycling with a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations at docks, boat ramps, and tackle shops across the state. Boating can be fun and exciting for Florida residents and visitors, but that fun can come at a dangerous price to boaters and manatees alike who must share Florida’s often crowded waterways.