Funded by: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

This on-going project began in 2002 and examines manatee habitat use and behavior before and after boat speed zones are implemented. Watercraft-related injuries account for at least 25% of all Florida manatee mortality each year. The current trend in manatee protection measures and management actions is to create sanctuaries and refuges, including slow speed regulations and no-entry zones for motorized boats. This is the key method used by managers to reduce watercraft-related manatee mortality. However, as the number of manatee sanctuaries, refuges, and slow speed zones increases, the number of watercraft-related mortality remains at comparable levels. There has been no previous study of boat speed zones to indicate whether or not implementation of these regulations is effectively and successfully protecting manatees.

Lemon Bay in Sarasota County, Florida was chosen as the study site for this project because both the federal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and state governments (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) planned to designate slow speed zones and a sanctuary for manatees in this area within one year. Aerial surveys of manatee distribution, abundance and use of the sanctuaries, as well as a non-regulated area outside the speed zones are conducted four times each month. Focal animal observations are made and video taped during aerial surveys for later analysis. Comparisons in manatee distribution, movements and behavior, particularly reaction to boat traffic will be made between regulated and unregulated boat speed areas. Aerial surveys were flown before speed zones were implemented, the project then took a one year break to allow boaters to acclimate to the zones, and then surveys were resumed to document manatee use and behavior after the zones were in place.

Information generated from this study will assist managers in better understanding the effects of refuges, and can potentially be used to modify, if necessary, existing and new zones to better protect manatees and minimize burdens on the boating public. It is hoped that the sanctuaries used in the study will be representative of other designated refuges so the results of this study will be useful in the assessment of other sites.

To learn more about our partners please click on the links provided

   U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

   Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission