Florida Manatees Are on the Move to Warm Water: FWC Urges Boaters to Slow Down and Look Out
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminded residents and visitors on November 13 that November is Manatee Awareness Month, and that as cold fronts move in, Florida's manatees are beginning their seasonal movements to warm-water sites around the state. Boaters can help by giving manatees space, going slow and keeping an eye out on the water.
Ashley LaVere, the FWC's Manatee Management Program Coordinator, said manatees rely on warm-water sites to survive the winter, seeking refuge at Florida's springs, power plant discharge areas and other warm sites when water temperatures drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and that boaters and personal watercraft users are more likely to encounter manatees as they travel to their winter habitats.
The commission said manatees can be hard to spot despite their size. Boaters should designate a lookout watching for snouts, backs, tails or flippers breaking the surface, or the circular 'footprints' manatees leave on the water, and should wear polarized glasses, go slow and obey manatee protection zones. Boat strikes are a major threat to Florida manatees.
People viewing manatees at warm-water sites should keep their distance, the FWC said: manatees are a protected species, and it is illegal to harass, feed, disturb or harm them, and disturbance can drive them out of warm water into potentially life-threatening cold water. Injured, distressed, sick or dead manatees should be reported promptly to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), and should not be handled.
(Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：佛罗里达海牛。美国鱼类与野生动物管理局照片，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A Florida manatee. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo, via Wikimedia Commons.
