Conservation Agencies Encourage Boaters
to Self-Report Collisions with Manatees
Joint Agency News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: June 16, 2006
Target Publication Date: Sunday, June 18, 2006
CONTACT:
Chuck Underwood, U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, (904)232-2580 ext. 109
Willie Puz, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, (850)488-1638
The Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) are looking to the public for help in
conserving the Florida manatee population. The agencies are
encouraging boaters to report accidental watercraft collisions
with Florida manatees through a new joint effort.
Agency officials want people to understand that conserving
manatees is the goal and boaters can help by voluntarily
reporting incidents involving these animals. Anyone who strikes
a manatee or observes a manatee being hit by a boat should call
the Commission's Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922.
Boaters should be prepared to provide the incident location,
weather conditions, boat specifications, and other relevant
information.
"We want everyone to know
that people who are operating their boat lawfully and
responsibly should not be afraid to report accidental collisions
with manatees," said Ken Haddad, Executive Director of the
Commission.
"Management decisions are
made based on sound science. The public can play a vital role in
helping collect this data and, in turn, have a direct role in
future manatee conservation efforts."
While the agencies continue
to try to minimize the number of manatee deaths and injuries,
the goal and hope of this effort is that the self-reporting of
manatee/boat collisions will actually increase, with two
significant benefits. Ongoing local, state, and federal law
enforcement activities will continue through the joint task
forces.
The goals of this
self-reporting are two fold.
First, a quick response may
increase the chance of an injured animal being rescued, treated
successfully, and ultimately returned to their natural habitat.
Second, scientists can gain an improved understanding of other
boat strikes. If scientists can match the marks on the animal
with the type of boat or propeller causing the wound, it will
provide a better understanding of what kinds of boats, motors,
or other circumstances cause the most problems for manatees. In
turn, this may allow adjustments in management practices to
prevent such strikes from occurring or even lead to future
design changes in boats. Presently, there are only a handful of
cases where the vessel that struck a manatee is actually known.
The agencies credit Bill Allbright as the driving force for this
new initiative. Allbright is the government affairs chairman of
the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs and also volunteers at the
FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg
where scientists perform necropsies on dead manatees to
determine the cause of death
"No one operating a boat responsibly and legally intentionally
runs over a manatee, but I think people don?t report it because
they fear they will get in trouble," Allbright said.
"Bill has been pushing us for awhile, and rightfully so," said
Sam Hamilton, Regional Director for the Service. "People who
disregard the law must be held accountable, but we understand
that people operating their boats responsibly and legally may
accidentally hit manatees. Under such circumstances, we treat
accidents as what they are ?
accidents. We want boaters to report them to us so we have a
chance to rescue the animal and a chance to learn more about how
to protect the species."
Both agencies strongly encourage boaters to know the rules of
the road, boat safely and responsibly, watch out for manatees,
and obey all federal, state, and local laws and regulations
including those specifically established for manatee protection
or boater safety. Collisions with boats are a significant source
of injury and mortality in manatees. Minimizing these injuries
is an important factor in recovery of the species.
For more information on the
agencies manatee programs, go to:
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
MyFWC.com
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida
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