Florida Boaters: Get Free Banner, Watch for Manatees
This 4th of July Weekend
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Please Slow -- Manatees Below: The Mayo Family, Sandy Fink and Hawkeye the dog demonstrate how to use the public awareness banner that is being offered free to Florida boaters. (Photo by Terry Nearing)
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For further information, contact:
For Immediate Release: June 30, 2003
Florida boaters can help reduce the risks to manatees by being extra careful when they are out on county waterways this 4th of July weekend. As an added protection measure, Save the Manatee Club is offering a free banner to interested boaters, which is designed to alert other boaters to the presence of manatees in the waterways. It’s bright yellow, waterproof, and reads “Please Slow: Manatees Below.”
There are many waterways in Florida that are considered essential manatee habitat. However, there are several areas that are considered manatee “hot spots”. These particular waterways have been documented as having high manatee use and feature manatee habitat such as seagrasses and fresh water sources. Click here for a list of manatee hot spots in Florida by county.
What should boaters do in manatee “hot spots?” There are some good general guidelines boaters can follow to help protect manatees from injury or death:
Wear polarized sunglasses; they can help eliminate the glare of the sun and can help you see below the water’s surface.
Stay in deep water channels and follow all posted boat speed regulations.
Avoid boating over shallow seagrass beds where manatees might be feeding.
Look for the manatee’s snout, back, tail, or flipper breaking the surface of the water; a swirl or a flat spot on the water signals a manatee may be swimming below.
If you see a manatee when operating a powerboat, remain a safe distance away – about 50 feet.
If you want to observe the manatee, cut the motor, but don't drift over the animal.
In addition, some residents may be attending 4th of July fireworks displays on the water in the evening, so please be aware that manatees may be in the area as well.
If you spot an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or if you see a manatee who is being harassed, call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. In addition, here are other tips for reporting injured manatees.
Currently, there are an estimated 3,000 Florida manatees left in the United States, and they are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
To help protect manatees, boaters should operate with care in Florida waterways on a year-round basis. For a free boating banner, contact Save the Manatee Club at: 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) or send an e-mail request to: education@savethemanatee.org. Be sure to include your name, mailing address, and the area where you boat in Florida.
In addition, more manatee protections tips for boaters are available on the SMC Web site at http://www.savethemanatee.org/boatertips.htm.
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