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The Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is a large, slow-moving marine mammal with an elongated, round body and paddle-shaped flippers and tail. Manatees are herbivores, feeding solely on seagrass, algae and other vegetation in freshwater and estuarine systems in the southeastern United States.
Manatees and Warm-Water Refuges. To change the status of Florida manatees under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must assess the severity of existing and foreseeable threats to their survival.
The 2006 review concluded that both Florida manatees and Antillean manatees (the other subspecies of West Indian Manatee) were stable or increasing throughout most of their ranges. FWS staff therefore recommended that the species as a whole, including Florida manatees, be down-listed from endangered to threatened.
JOHN E. REYNOLDS, III. Mote Marine Laboratory Sarasota, Florida, USA. Most Florida manatees depend on localized warm-water refuges in the southern two-thirds of Florida to survive winter; about 60% use outfalls from 10 power plants, whereas 15% use 4 natural warm-water springs.
Manatee Harassment. Instances of manatee harassment have been a particular problem in Kings Bay, where multiple warm-water springs form a mile wide body of warm clear water that attracts hundreds of manatees each winter.
FWC-FWRI’s Role in Manatee Rescue-Rehab Program • Investigate/verify reports of distressed manatees (Wildlife alert #, 24/7 response support) • Coordinate and conduct rescues of distressed manatees in Florida • Transport distressed manatees to critical care facilities • Administer the FL Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release
watercraft-related manatee deaths are most common. Although slower speeds may reduce injuries by reducing the force of collision impacts, the principal objective of speed restrictions has been to allow manatees more time to detect and avoid oncoming boats. Efforts to establish speed zones began in earnest in 1989 when the Florida Governor
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has responsibility for the conservation and management of sea and marine otters, walruses, polar bears, three species of manatees, and dugongs.
The Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, is a subspecies of West Indian manatee that occurs almost exclusively in the southeastern United States at the northern limit of the species’ range [1]. Florida manatees, particularly juveniles, are vulnerable to death from cold stress when water temperatures fall below 18–
May 1978 - Florida Legislature enacts the Manatee Sanctuary Act May 1978 - Board of Trustees denies bridges and power lines for Islands (sets stage for discussions to purchase islands and eventual refuge) October 22, 1979- FWS adopts regulatory process to establish manatee protection areas