The marina we are constructing in Edgewater Florida has a 954 foot frontage. Immediately next door is Boston Whaler manufacturing plant and we both front a "Caution Manatee zone".
Intermittantly we have observed manatees nuzzling next to our seawall.

Boston Whaler has a special provision from the County that they may perform test runs at full throttle and at times even the sherrifs boats sit and chit chat with the guys.
I have spoken to several Whaler people as well as other boaters in the area and they all say even though there are Manatees in the area NONE have been hit in several years.
Addionally the specific area gets alot of traffic all year round. As many have documented, the present concerns for their safety are greatly exaggerated.

I still maintain if one took the number of hits/kills versus the birth/population increase rate of the Manatee family and population of boats..the hit/kill ratio would show a signifcant decrease.
marc

I think someone should take two males and two female Mantees and plop them in LOTO!

Seriouly, has anyone ever trained a Manatee, like a dophin? Are they trainable? The idea with the sound would be at best learning the hard way? Maybe after getting hit in the head everytime the whistle blows, they will "LEARN" or "BE TRAINED" to go deep? I dunno, I'd like to see one jump through a hoop before I bought into that? Seems easy enough to prove or disprove in a controled environment.

Who owns the boat "Manatee-O-Matic" with triple VI drives?

Ron P,
You are correct, here is one of the studies I was referring to earlier in this thread.

http://www.acoustics.org/press/142nd/gerstein2.html

SMC completely DISAPPROVES of this approach.
TGIF,
MD

Of course they disapprove........then they would have to get ANOTHER job!!!!!!!

Whatever lady......keep talkin.......

Shor,
BINGO! SMC is MORE worried about their JOBS, then they are about what is bset for the MANATEE! Just follow the money trail!
MD