todays paper

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.s...3462839430.xml

in florida they enjoy a high profile

Hold onto your shorts. The Save the Manatee Club will be bearing down on you guys any day now. Start watching for manatee and no wake zones.

That guy needs some serious education.

This year netted the lowest number of boat-related manatee deaths since we began recording information...the second lowest was last year.

There were fewer than 70 deaths attributed to boating, barely 1% of the total popoulation.

The other 80%(to be more precise) were killed by natural causes and red tide. Go figure.

The other problem is the destruction of sea grass beds by the manatees, not to mention approximately 500 pounds of fesces per animal per day.

If I were to leave some prop scars in sea grass(vital to healthy fish stocks), I'd be fined tens of thousands of dollars as well as be responsible to replanting the damaged areas.

It's time to fine the save the manatee club for every square foot of damaged seagrass by the manatees.

I'd rather preserve the seagrass, fish populations, and a healthy marine ecosystem than a lazy, overconsuming seacow.

In areas of warm water discharge, where manatees congregate in the winter, the sea bottom is completely devoid of plant life, fish, crustaceans, etc.

I wonder why the papers never write about that angle.

Manatees issue is pure emotion.No logic and loaded with Silly Science.They just published a report saying that Manatees do hear boats and do try to get out of the way. Over 300 observations and LESS than 50% were noted responding to one of the six actions that would indicate a positive reaction. A positive reaction was a movement that they Thought the Manatee MIGHT be going to take. They THOUGHT? Thats stretching it now that they know what a Manatee was thinking and going to do.
Walt

They must have hired the 'pet psychic' from the animal planet show. :eolleyes: