Manatees Head for Warmer Water

manatee 125.gif {sidebar id=3}Florida manatees are on the move seeking warm-water sites to spend the winter. That means boaters must be cautious about looking out for our official marine mammal and for changing speed zones on waterways.

Manatees generally start traveling to warm water when the air temperature drops below 50 degrees or when the water temperature dips to 68 degrees.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) changes seasonal speed zone signs in mid-November on many waterways to accommodate manatee migration.

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, a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the water’s surface.

Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC’s Imperiled Species Management Section, said boaters can help manatees have a safe migration by doing the following:

Stay in marked channels.
Wear polarized sunglasses to improve vision.
Obey posted boat speed zones.
Use poles, paddles or trolling motors when in close proximity to manatees.
Have someone help scan the water when under way.

“If you think you see a manatee, give it plenty of room because it may not be alone. It may have a calf or be traveling with other manatees,” Frohlich said.

For more information about manatees, visit MyFWC.com/manatee/ .

Zone Definitions:

Idle speed (No wake) – Lowest speed needed to maintain steering and make headway (speed used when docking a boat).
Slow speed (No excessive wake) – Fully off plane and completely settled in the water, not plowing. This enables boats to move through an area with little or no impact to natural resources, shoreline erosion or other boaters.
Motorboats prohibited zone – Entry is prohibited for any vessel being propelled or powered by machinery.
No entry – No vessels or other human-related activities allowed.

This article originally published on November 21, 2007.

Written by :