Manatees Research Paper

Here in citrus county, we have hundreds of West Indian manatees that come into our waters each winter to stay warm in our spring water. The economy of this county, especially in crystal river, relies on tourism of manatees. People come from all over to see these mammals. The problem is that it is harmful and stressful to the manatees if the tourists don’t follow the guidelines of manatee manners. There are a few ways to fix this. I will be going over both ways that are being done now and ways that we can save these creatures.

First of all, the Florida fish and wildlife commission has set up zones where strict rules are being forced. The biggest one are the zones that the manatees can stay where no boats or swimmers cannot go. This provides

Rules include everything from how to swim around the manatees to contact. These rules keep the manatees stress free and happy. In the past, and still to this day, hundreds of swimmers will poke and chase the manatees, which are big no no’s in the rule book. Recently here in citrus county, the tour operations have tightened down on the rules, showing a mandatory video to the tourists before entering the water. This really helps the manatees stay safe and not stressed. When swimmers chase and over touch the manatees, they may leave the area and be forced to colder waters in the Gulf of Mexico, where many manatees each year die of freezing. Freezing is the number one cause of manatees deaths each year. Keeping a stress free environment in the warm water is key to keeping them inside the warm waters so they can survive. This is why captains are buckling down on the manatees manners. If they do not follow the rules, they will have their permit pulled away from the FWC to run their business. FWC has really cracked down on these rules and helped manatees tremendously. This is important not only to save these creatures, but our economy here in Crystal River. Even locals can avoid harassing the manatees, By slowing down and observing the manatees without harassing them. When

Last year, over 600 manatees were counted by plane just in kings bay. In the past years, it has been 350 to 450, which was before all the rules were put into play. There have also been way less cold related deaths of the manatees, which is the leading cause of deaths. This is proof that the manatees are more comfortable in the new environment we have created for them to live in. Even with all these regulations, we can still make it a better environment for them yet. Things like rental boats are a disaster when it comes to keeping the manatees safe. When a tourist who has never drove a boat, that does not know the rules of the water ways goes to see the manatees, it can a disaster. Here in citrus county we have had only two deaths of manatees related to fishing line. We can help prevent this by not fishing where they swim and not leaving line in the water if you get broke off. The FWC has done a stellar job of enforcing the rules, and I give a kudos to them for doing such a fine job. Small things really make a big difference in keeping these creatures safe. In fact, by keeping these creatures safe, they are now out of the endangered species population by number. They are now close to be considered protected instead of endangered! That is huge and it is all because of our FWC and our captains and boaters that are obeying the set of rules