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Four Manatees Killed by Boat Propeller
Four endangered manatees have washed up dead within a few miles of the downtown Savannah riverfront in the past week, leading wildlife officials to speculate they may have been killed by a single large ship.
Clay George, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said Tuesday three of the manatee carcasses pulled from the Savannah River suffered deep propeller wounds. One had been sliced in half.
Examination of the fourth manatee Tuesday, the day after it was found beneath the Talmadge Bridge that spans the river from Savannah into South Carolina, revealed no lacerations. But the carcass had several broken bones that could have been caused by a ship, George said.
The manatees were discovered upstream from the bustling Port of Savannah, which cargo ships reach by navigating about 20 miles of the Savannah River from the Atlantic Ocean. Judging by the size of the cuts, the manatees appear to have been hit by a vessel the size of a tugboat or larger, George said.
"Container ships or some other large vessel would be an obvious place to start," George said. "We're not trying to blame anyone. Most likely it was an accident. I'd be very surprised if anyone on the vessel even knew what happened."
Though most frequently found in Florida, manatees migrate north to Georgia's shoreline waters and rivers each year from April to October.
A 2007 report by the U.S. Geological Survey identified boat collisions as the top long-term threat to manatees, which weigh up to 2,000 pounds and can be 10 feet long. In Florida, watercraft strikes killed 73 manatees in 2007 and have caused 60 deaths through July 31 this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
It's unusual for multiple manatees to turn up dead in the same place at roughly the same time, said Charles Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Jacksonville, Fla. But it can happen, he said, when manatees are trying to mate and may be distracted from approaching vessels.
Underwood said the agency has no recorded case in which a single boat or ship was proven to have killed multiple manatees at once.
Visitors strolling the downtown riverfront, a tourist hotspot packed with bars and souvenir shops, spotted the first two manatee carcasses in the river Friday. A boater spotted another later that day near Elba Island a few miles downriver.
George said the manatees could have been part of a mating herd, in which up to a dozen males pursue a single female. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photographed five manatees together in the river last week, he said.
Georgia Ports Authority spokesman Robert Morris said traffic to and from the port wasn't any heavier than normal last week with ships arriving and departing ahead of the storm. He called the manatee deaths "a tragic event."
"We want to work closely with the DNR to learn more about what caused the deaths of these four manatees and determine ways to alert river traffic in the future when manatees are sighted," Morris said.
Pleasure boats and Coast Guard cutters also frequent the Savannah River, and there's no precise evidence to indicate any particular type of large vessel.
PLEASE NOTE! Propeller Guard Can Help Reduce Manatee Injuries!
Boat Propeller Guards DO NOT elliminate injuries/death. However, they can help reduce manatee & other sea life (as well as humans) when used in conjunction with other precautions. Boat Propeller Guards are only effective when speedzone laws are obeyed.
http://myfwc.com/manatee/prop/
http://myfwc.com/manatee/prop/propguide.htm
Manatee FAQ Links:
http://www.savethemanatee.org/faqprotection.htm
http://www.floridaconservation.org/psm/prop/prop.htm
http://www.myfwc.com/manatee/
http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/aquatic_noise.... Four endangered manatees have washed up dead within a few miles of the downtown Savannah riverfront in the past week, leading wildlife... more -
Manatee Death Under Investigation
Rescuers allow sea mammals to complete mourning before removing the dead.
A manatee bobbing in the waters near Marco Island is poked and prodded by the noses of several larger manatees, an apparent attempt to bring their ailing relative up for air. That’s the report received by Mitts Maravic of the Fish and Wildlife Commission over the Fourth of July weekend.
A Marco Island man reported that a dying or dead manatee was located off Isles of Capri near channel marker 16.
He added that it is very common and touching to see the animals trying to help and then often mourning the loss of one of their own.
“We had a porpoise doing the same thing over the weekend. The body of a calf was decomposing and the mother was still trying to push it up for air,” he said.
“We won’t ever take that baby away until the mother is done dealing with it,” he added.
The deceased manatee was brought to a Charlotte County pathology lab for an autopsy, officially called a necropsy or animal autopsy.
“There were small scars on its back, but that’s not unusual,” he said.
The necropsy will likely reveal the cause of death, which may be related to being struck by a boat ...
While Maravic said he is often the first responder when a boater or resident reports a hurt or deceased sea mammal in Collier County, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network (MMSN), a group of State and Federal volunteers trained in biology and sea rescues, often come in with expertise in marine biology and serve Collier, Lee and Charlotte Counties.
The Marine Mammal Stranded Network were able to shift their focus from the deceased manatee to a live manatee rescue.
MMSN saved a manatee Thursday afternoon that was found near Port of the Islands east of Seminole State Park. The manatee is receiving treatment at the Lowry Park Tampa Zoo, said FWC biologist Deidre Semeyn Rescuers allow sea mammals to complete mourning before removing the dead. ... more -
Save the Manatee! Boaters: Throttle Back, Save Gas & Manatees!
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2007 Boating Accident Statistical Report states, “With well over 1 million vessels registered in the state, Florida leads the nation in the number of vessels . . . and has the highest number of boating fatalities annually.” Boat traffic can double or triple on holiday weekends, and dangerous conditions for the slow-moving manatees, as well as for families out boating, can increase dramatically.
“Manatee deaths from boat collisions continue to be the leading known cause of manatee mortality,” said Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “This year, with gas prices on the rise, it makes good sense for the boating community to throttle back – take some of the pressure off their pocketbooks and at the same time help make Florida’s busy waterways safer. Going slower may improve your boat’s gas mileage and certainly improves the manatees’ chances of making it through the long weekend uninjured.”
Throttling back also reduces boat wakes, which can cause damage to property, such as seawalls and moored boats. To help protect manatees on a year-round basis, boaters should follow all posted boat speed regulations, slow down if manatees are in the vicinity, and stay in deep water channels when possible. If you see an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or a manatee who is being harassed, call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.
Also, find out how you can make your own boating experience safer by taking a boating safety course. For more information on classes, go to the Manatee Protection Tips for Boaters page.
Florida business owners, marinas, dive shops, parks, libraries, and schools who are interested in obtaining a free “Boat Safely” manatee conservation poster should contact Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). Please include your contact information along with full information on where the poster will be displayed.
Florida boaters can also request a free, “Please Slow: Manatees Below” bright yellow waterproof banner by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org. Include full mailing information along with the area where you boat in Florida. The banners can be used to quickly alert other boaters that manatees are present in the area.
Also, if you are a Florida shoreline property owner, you can get a free aluminum sign for your dock which reads, “Please Watch for Manatees: Operate With Care.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2007 Boating Accident Statistical Report states, “With well over 1 million ves... more -
Tee Swim with Manatees
My Current Tee took my wife and daughter swimming with Manatees in Crystal River, Florida. Thank you to the American Pro Diving Center for one of the best experiences of my life! My Current Tee took my wife and daughter swimming with Manatees in Crystal River, Florida. Thank you to the American Pro Diving Cente... more
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Manatee Fun Facts
At least two manatees died an agonizing death from red tide in Brevard County and another five also are suspected victims of the toxic algae.
Manatees are large, fully aquatic marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows.
The name comes from the Spanish manatí, which itself comes from a Carib word meaning "breast."
They are thought to have evolved from four legged land mammals over 60 million years ago.
They are mainly herbivores, spending most of their time grazing in shallow waters and at depths of 1-2 m (3-7 ft).
Generally, manatees have a mean mass of 410-545 kg (900-1200 lb), and mean length of 2.7-3 m (9-10 ft), with maximums of 3.6 m and 1775 kg seen (the females tend to be larger and heavier).
On average, most manatees swim about 3 to 5 miles per hour. However, they have been known to swim up to 20 miles per hour in short bursts.
Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (T. manatus, West Indian Manatee), the Amazon basin (T. inunguis, Amazonian Manatee), and West Africa (T. senegalensis,
Florida manatees (T. m. latirostris) have been known to live up to 60 years.
They have a large flexible prehensile upper lip that acts in many ways like a shortened trunk, somewhat similar to an elephant's. They use the lip to gather food and eat, as well as using it for social interactions and communications.
Manatees are also believed to have the ability to see in color. They may use taste and smell, in addition to sight, sound, and touch, to communicate.
Manatees are capable of understanding discrimination tasks, and show signs of complex associated learning and advanced long term memory.[3] They demonstrate complex discrimination and task-learning similar to dolphins
A manatee can move each side of its lip pads independently. This flexibility allows the manatee to "grab" aquatic plants and draw them into its mouth.
Manatees do not have eyelashes, their eye muscles close in a circular motion, much like an aperture on a camera.
Manatees have no "biting" teeth, only "grinding" teeth. A manatee's teeth (all molars) are constantly being replaced. New teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward about a centimeter a month. The front molars eventually fall out and are replaced by the teeth behind them. This tooth replacement is an adaptation to the manatee's diet, as it consumes plants that may hold a lot of sand.
Other remnant bones found in the manatee are the hyoid bones located near the neck region. These bones are similar to the Adam's apple in humans. Today, there is no known use of these bones in the manatee.
The bones in a manatee's flipper are similar to a human hand. The jointed "finger bones" of the flipper help the manatee move through the water, bring food to its mouth, and hold objects. Three or four nails are found at the end of each flipper.
All manatees are threatened or endangered. vulnerable to hunters seeking their hides, oil, and bones. accidentally hit by motorboats , and sometimes become entangled in fishing nets
Manatees are sometimes called sea cows At least two manatees died an agonizing death from red tide in Brevard County and another five also are suspected victims of the toxic... more -
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Check out his new Bartman remix. Also, he likes Manatees. And, apparently, turtles too. I also like turtles.
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