Saturday, November 14, 2026
Manatees can become entangled in monofilament and other fishing gear and can affect their ability to swim and feed. They become embedded deep in a manatee’s skin or flipper.
A regulatory marker specific to vessel traffic in a Manatee Protection Zone.
Dock signage available from Save the Manatee Club. Florida shoreline property owners can post one on their dock to let boaters know that manatees might be in the area.
Manatee with scar patterns caused when a boat propeller makes contact with a manatee. These scars can also be used to identify the manatees.
Cold stress can be observed in manatees during winter when temperatures are less than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It is manifested with bleaching on skin, heavy barnacles or visible sores.
Tidally stranded manatees are typically healthy manatees that got caught with the receding tide. In most cases they can swim away with the incoming high tide.
It is turning out to be a terrible year for manatees in Florida. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) from January 1, 2021 to November 19, 2021, 1,017 manatees have died in Florida waterways with 92 of those from boat strikes.
Florida is considered the nation’s boating capital with many newly relocated residents enjoying Florida’s waters, adding to the increase in manatee deaths.
What happens when a slow-moving manatee crosses the path of a speeding motorboat weighing 3,000 pounds or more?
Boaters need to make sure they are following all posted signage and wake zones in designated Manatee Zones.
According to FWC, as a general rule on the water, all boaters must adhere to Florida Statute (FS.) 327.46 (3) which states that “it is unlawful for any person to operate a vessel in a prohibited manner within a boating restricted area which has been clearly marked by regulatory markers as authorized. This is universal regardless of the specific type of restricted area markings such as slow speed, idle speed, etc. This boating violation is comparable to ‘violation of a traffic control device’ for vehicles on roadways.”
Florida Administrative Code (FAC.) 68C-22.023 explains the specifics of Collier County Manatee Protection Zones as applicable for vessel traffic.
According to FWC, both violations of the manatee zone code and the boating restricted area statute are non-criminal law infractions that are cited with a $90 payable fine and are the most common manatee related violations that FWC officers’ encounter.
Here are some tips when boating around manatee designated zones:
Stay alert and slow down to keep safe: Keep a slow speed when travelling in areas where manatees tend to travel. Manatees can often be spotted by looking for ripples in the water or their bodies slightly poking out from the surface, such as tails, snouts, flippers or back.
Wear polarized sunglasses: They eliminate the glare of the sun and see below the water’s surface while boating.
Recreational boaters: It’s advisable to review and carry up-to-date navigation charts onboard their vessels to help avoid shallow areas where manatees feed and rest. Boating guides that feature manatee speed zones for each regulated county are available through FWC and should also be reviewed prior to boating and kept onboard for continued reference.
Stay in deep water channels: Follow all posted boat speed regulations.
Avoid boating over shallow seagrass beds: This is where manatees might be feeding.
When you are operating a powerboat and you see a manatee, remain a safe distance away – about 50 feet is suggested. Cut the motor and observe from a distance.
Boat propellers or other sharp parts of the boat can cut deep into manatee’s tissue, organs, ribs and bones causing internal injuries. As a result of these injuries, the manatee may be excessively buoyant (leans towards one side and float near the surface) or negatively buoyant and sink.
Florida Shoreline Property owners’ signs are available from Save the Manatee Club (SMC). It is an aluminum sign, 24-inches by 18-inches in size and reads “Slow Please – Report Manatee Injuries: 1-888-404-FWCC.” It is designated to alert boaters to the presence of manatees in the waterways. Florida shoreline property owners can post one on their dock to let boaters know that manatees might be in the area. When contacting SMC to request a sign, please provide the address where the sign will be posted and your mailing address (if different).
If you are a Marco Island resident and live by a canal, chances are you are going to be visited by manatees during the cooler months of the year. Manatees prefer waters about three to seven feet deep and our Marco canals are ideal for them. They come to forage for food and keep warm. The above educational sign could help educate and alert boaters to slow down and watch for manatees.
TO REPORT A SICK, INJURED, DEAD OR TAGGED MANATEE
Call FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline Number: 1-888-FWCC (3922).
Press “7” to speak with an operator. Cellular phones: *FWC or #FWC
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here