RollWithIt

Maybe they are depressed cause all the boaters are avoiding them and wont let them play. They could be committing mass manatee suicide for all we know.

Dean Ferry

Latest Editorial in my local POS NEWSPAPER!! I HATE THE FLORIDATODAY NEWSPAPER!

Saving manatees


It's a list Brevard County did not want to top.

More endangered manatees died in local waters last year -- 65 -- than in any other county in Florida, according to the state's annual report.

The breakdown showed 29 of the fatalities were among young manatees less than 5 feet in length, 12 from unknown causes and 11 from watercraft collisions. Thirteen died in a variety of other ways.

Some 264 sea cows perished across Florida, marking the 10th consecutive year that more than 200 have died in the state.

The high numbers tell us again that strong manatee protection measures should stay in place locally and throughout Florida, and efforts by boating groups and the marine construction industry to weaken or eliminate them deserve defeat.

Many scientists stress that strategy is necessary for these reasons:


The key to manatee survival is the reproductive cycle speed, and it's not fast with manatees as the females are slow to sexually mature.

Long-term survival also depends heavily on the hard-to-track adult survival rate. Population models shows that a small reduction in it can send the species spiraling downward.

Manatees face ever-worsening threats from habitat destroyed by development, loss of food sources and increasing pollution pouring into waterways.
In the face of such severe threats, current protection plans -- consistently backed by a solid majority of Floridians over the years -- remain the right way to go.

CigDaze

I f'in hate op/editorials.

happy hours

I "might" have hit one in lee county last year. We stayed in Sanibel and were headed back into the the resort the first night right around dusk. It was about a 2 mile ride back a mangrove path to the marina. Not a populated area and the water was sorta murky. About 3/4 of the trip was no wake manatee zone. It was getting dark it is was my first time return to the particular place I was running about 40mph UP to the start of the no wake zone in order to get home before it was totally dark. I was NOT there yet but about 100 yards from it, I would/dont disobey no wake zones. Anyhow, I hit something submerged and it wa pretty hard and torqued the wheel like it was moving sideways. Everyone in the boat heard/felt it but only me and my buddy were sober enough to really know what happened and the girls thought nothing of it. Great blessing because both my wife and her friend and rabid animal lovers. To this day I dunno what it was. No damage to the prop (stainless), but I dunno what I hit., I have hit my share of sandbars and this was definitely not that sort of thing. I always wondered what it was and I really do hope it was not a manatee but if I had to guess ...it was. I have never hit a water logged piece of wood though but like I said the wheel jerked like the thing was moving when I hit it.

Roger 1

I have an idea! Why don`t we just kill `em all. That way, they will be extinct and it won`t be an issue any more. When is the last time you saw an editorial about saving the sabre toothed tiger from extinction.

ratman

you'll love this. a few weeks ago i was in line at a local marine supply store and this tree hugger in a grren peice t shirt was looking at this manatee book all dreamy eyed in sh*t so looked up at me and i said " i have some wonderful manatee recipes" she looked like i punched her in the stomach. it was priceless. in in tampa everthing's is no wake around here any more it sucks.

JCPERF

I think Ben Kramer brought them here.You could see them in the water and avoid them going in a slow powerboat.The fast powerboats like a fountain would hit them and get a bad name thus making Apache look better.