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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 -
Naval Live Fire Exercise | Dolphin deaths: Expert suggests 'mass suicide'...
Wait... dolphins 'mysteriously' leap out of the water en masse 12 miles from a Royal Navy live fire exercise? And the official line "It is considered extremely unlikely that this operation could have affected [them] in any way."
What are the odds this had nothing to do with it? For a species that 'sees' with its ears? Wait... dolphins 'mysteriously' leap out of the water en masse 12 miles from a Royal Navy live fire exercise? And the offici... more -
Your sunscreen makes my alligator sad...
Your sunscreen and birth control pills may be affecting the size and efficacy of alligator penises, among other things. On a positive note, your Prozac makes mussels happy.
From the article:
"Most people don't see a stockpile of environmental contaminants when they look in their bathroom cabinets, but pharmaceuticals and personal care products contain thousands of chemicals that could impact aquatic life. ...
Unlike agricultural and industrial pollutants, chemicals in PPCPs [pharmaceuticals and personal care products] enter the environment at low but often continual levels by thousands or millions of people in towns and cities around the world.
Some of these chemical compounds are endocrine disruptors that act like hormones and can interfere with reproduction.
Perhaps the most widely publicized study of the impact of endocrine disruptors came in the 1990s when researchers reported male alligators with abnormally small penises and high blood levels of female hormones in a Florida lake with a declining alligator population.
Mitra said scientists have discovered that fish stopped reproducing within a few weeks after low levels of the active ingredient in birth control pills was added to experimental lakes.
Endocrine disruptors aren't found only in oral contraceptives and therapeutic hormones though.
Preservatives called parabens, found in many shampoos and sunscreens, are endocrine disruptors also.
And, at North Carolina State University, scientists found that adding a small amount of a common antidepressant to the water altered the reproductive behavior of freshwater mussels.
Other research is looking at whether low levels of prescription antibiotics could promote pathogen resistance in aquatic species." Your sunscreen and birth control pills may be affecting the size and efficacy of alligator penises, among other things. On a positive ... more -
Bali's Dying Coral Reefs Reviving, Thanks to Electricity
While low voltage electrical currents are helping to revive patches of coral reef off Bali's coast, this won't solve the widespread destruction caused by human factors, environmentalists say. While low voltage electrical currents are helping to revive patches of coral reef off Bali's coast, this won't solve the wid... more
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Marine Wildlife
