International Manatee Day: Helping Florida’s sea cows
While most Floridians already admire and respect the state’s beloved sea cow, there is a day dedicated to learning about and appreciating the gentle giants of our waterways. International Manatee Day is today.
Because this day coincides with Labor Day, Save the Manatee Club is taking the opportunity to remind boaters to exercise caution when enjoying the state’s waterways.
While Florida’s manatee population numbers in the thousands, the species is listed as “threatened” and can become injured in collisions with boats. In 2019, 22 percent of confirmed manatee deaths were caused by watercraft, according to statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
To help mitigate this risk to Florida’s giant sea cow, Save the Manatee Club is encouraging those on the water to obey posted speed zones and watch for manatees. Boaters are also encouraged to wear polarized sunglasses to see below the water’s surface, stay in deep water channels and keep an eye out for a manatee’s snout, back, tail or flipper breaking the surface of the water.
“Most living wild manatees also bear scars from these accidental encounters, demonstrating with graphic evidence that most manatees have already been but inches away from losing their lives,” said Patrick Rose, Save the Manatee Club’s executive director and aquatic biologist.
The organization is offering a boating safety kit to those interested in taking extra precautions to help manatees in Florida’s waterways. To request these free materials, send an email to education@savethemanatee.org or call 800-432-5646.
Those who spot an injured or sick manatee in Florida can report those animals to the state’s FWC at 888-404-3922.