For Immediate Release: May 18, 2010

Memorial Day traditionally signals the start of the summer boating season.  Save the Manatee Club cautions recreational boaters over the holiday weekend to be mindful of the manatees traveling, resting, feeding, and playing throughout Florida’s ever-busy waterways. 

“We continue to reach out to the boating community to minimize watercraft-related manatee injuries and deaths,” explains Dr. Katie Tripp, Director of Science and Conservation for Save the Manatee Club.  Last year, a record-setting 97 manatees were killed by boat strikes in Florida waters.   

“We wanted to create something that would serve as a constant reminder for boaters to be on the lookout for manatees and also provide the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) hotline number (1-888-404-3922) for reporting manatees in distress.  Our new boating decal and redesigned shoreline property sign with the message to “Slow Please” meet both of these important objectives.” 

Rick O'Hara finds a good spot on his boat for the Club's new boating decal. (Photo courtesy Nanette O'Hara, Tampa Bay Estuary Program.)

Save the Manatee Club is actively distributing the signs to Florida shoreline property owners and the decals to Sunshine State boaters in preparation for the summer boating season.

Florida boaters can also request the Club’s free, “Please Slow: Manatees Below” waterproof, bright yellow banner to alert other boaters when manatees are present in the area. 

Save the Manatee Club’s heightened public awareness and education efforts coincide with Endangered Species Day on May 21st, and National Boating Safety Week, which runs May 22nd through the 28th. 

Patrick Rose, the Club’s Executive Director, remains concerned about the manatee’s future.  “Manatees cannot afford another year of high watercraft mortality, especially after the largest winter manatee die-off ever recorded.  More than 500 manatees, or 10% of the estimated population, have already died this year, many from cold stress due to the prolonged cold winter weather.  Manatees are also threatened this year by the current and ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the April explosion of a drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana.  If efforts to stop its progress fail, the spill could become the largest in U.S. history, and the consequences could be catastrophic for manatees and other wildlife.  With summer approaching, manatees are disbursing into the very areas that could be most affected by the spill.”     

To further safeguard manatees over the Memorial Day weekend and beyond, boaters should follow all posted boat speed regulations, slow down if manatees are in the vicinity, and stay in deep water channels when possible.  If you see an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or a manatee who is being harassed, call the FWC at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.  Recreational boaters are advised to review and carry up-to-date navigation charts onboard their vessels to help avoid shallow areas where manatees feed and rest.  Boating guides that feature manatee speed zones for each regulated county are available from FWC and should also be reviewed prior to boating and kept onboard for continued reference. 

The free decals, signs, and banners mentioned above can be obtained by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). 

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