For Immediate Release: July 10, 2008

Between Friday July 4th and Monday July 7th, 2008, six manatees were recovered and confirmed to have died from watercraft collisions throughout Florida. The manatees were recovered in Brevard, Citrus, Duval, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties, with two of the watercraft mortalities occurring in Pinellas County.

Another manatee carcass recovered on July 7th was identified at necropsy as Dundee, a manatee being tracked by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). Dundee was born in captivity in 1986 and was first released into the wild in 2006. At necropsy, a large tangle of monofilament fishing line, plastic, a lead weight, and a metal swivel were found in Dundee’s small intestine. This material caused a formational change in the small intestine, which then resulted in a blockage that ultimately caused his death.

Holidays are not the only dangerous times for manatees. On June 29th, a manatee mother and her calf were rescued in Crystal River after the mother suffered a watercraft strike. In addition to these documented cases of injury or death, most living manatees bear scars from non-lethal boat strikes.

Through July 7th, 54 watercraft deaths and 198 total manatee deaths were reported in Florida, which are near-record totals. These statistics emphasize the threats faced by Florida’s manatees and provide an opportunity to remind our state’s residents and visitors to practice responsible boating and fishing practices in order to keep our waters safe for manatees, other wildlife, and ourselves.

“People must remember that manatee mortality statistics reflect the life and death of living creatures,” said Dr. Katie Tripp, Save the Manatee Club’s Director of Science and Conservation. “We should never forget that manatees suffer as a result of human carelessness. As a caring species ourselves, we should find such suffering unacceptable.”

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