| Radio programs for the week of 17 January 2000 (fe00117 - fe00121) | For more
information: FWC Florida Marine Research Institute Bureau of Protected Species Management Manatee Information - Bureau of Protected Species Management |
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Manatee deaths due to boats are greater than ever I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. A recent report shows last year being the second worst recorded for Manatee deaths in Florida, and the worst ever for those caused by watercraft. Kipp Frohlich is with Florida's Bureau of Protected Species Management (Kipp Frohlich, Biological Administrator, Bureau of Protected Species Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "268 manatees dead is not good news by anyone's wildest imagination... Nor is 82 of those being killed by watercraft." The Florida Marine Institute's James Powell says its not only the high number of deaths caused by watercraft, it's the rate at which the number is increasing (James Powell, Ph.D., coordinator of the endangered and threatened species group, Florida Marine Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "There's a trend towards higher numbers -- the fourth year in a row as a matter of fact we've had the highest numbers -- and we're also seeing that that proportion of manatee deaths is growing, not at a much higher level than overall mortality, but at a higher level." Current thinking calls for boaters obey slower speed limits in designated areas and to slow down in other areas where manatees are likely found... "(Powell) It's a problem and we're concerned about it. And unless that trend decreases, then it becomes and is a major contributing part of our overall manatee mortality and the one that we're most likely to be able to do something about." For more information visit floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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 fe00118Boaters and a deadly impact on Manatees I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. A report on Manatee deaths in Florida shows 1999 as the second highest in history with the highest-ever number of deaths due to watercraft. The Florida Marine Institute's James Powell says 268 Manatees carcasses were found, with 30 percent of the deaths caused by boaters (James Powell, Ph.D., coordinator of the endangered and threatened species group, Florida Marine Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "We follow these numbers very carefully. And what we have been seeing is an increase in manatee mortality related to watercraft impacts." Each of the last four years has brought a new, record number of watercraft related Manatee deaths... "It's a matter of manatees being pretty large and relatively slow and boats being fast and using the very same waterways that manatees do." Scientists say the solution to the Manatee deaths is simple: Boaters need to slow down... "It is not any one type of boat or size of boat that kills manatees. We see it across the board. But the one thing we do know is that the faster the boat goes, the higher the impact and that has a much higher potential of killing the animal." For more information visit floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| fe00119 Can Florida's boats and manatees coexist? I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment As Florida comes to grips with its fourth year in a row for a record number of Manatee deaths caused by watercraft, changes in watercraft regulation are being contemplated. Kipp Frohlich with the Bureau of Protected Species Management says changes in Florida's boating population represent a challenge (Kipp Frohlich, Biological Administrator, Bureau of Protected Species Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "The number of registered boats in the state increases annually. We have over 800,000 and those are just the ones that are registered and doesn't count all the ones that come down from the north." With 30 percent of last year's manatee deaths caused by watercraft, changes in boater behavior are being looked at... "The development of the sort of "flats fishing" and the interest in getting into the "back country" -- which of course is very enjoyable, but it also has some consequences. Now, boats are leaving the channel more, they're going across grass flats... So these very fast boats are now going out." For now, boaters are asked to observe slower speed limits and reduce speed when manatees might be present... "The playing field has changed tremendously: we have many more boats, they go faster, they're going in more places. So had we not done manatee protection programs over the past 20 years, I strongly believe that it would be much, much worse. We'd have a real bloodbath in a number of areas where we don't, now." For more information visit floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| fe00120 Fast boats and an endangered species I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. Are Florida boaters obeying the new speed limits implemented to protect endangered manatees? That's a question scientists are asking as they look at a recent report showing a record number of manatee deaths last year, caused by watercraft. James Powell is a researcher of endangered and threatened species (James Powell, Ph.D., coordinator of the endangered and threatened species group, Florida Marine Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "What we're also concerned about is the level of compliance in regards to some of the speed zones." Kipp Frohlich is with Florida's Bureau of Protected Species Management (Kipp Frohlich, Biological Administrator, Bureau of Protected Species Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "We put up the zones... we develop the rules and signs go on the water, but how many people actually follow those rules? It may look like you've given the animals lots of protection but if its just on paper and boaters don't change their behavior or don't obey the rules then we haven't done much for the animals." Though the high number of manatee deaths last year is reason for concern, some conservation efforts are paying off... "(Frohlich) This is bad this year. We don't want to lose sight of the fact that there has been manatee population growth around the state, even despite the human population growth, and that's a good thing." For more information visit floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| fe00121 Florida's role in worldwide manatee protection I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. The number of deaths of Florida manatees last year was the second highest in history. Concerning, because Florida is the only state in the nation where Manatees can live, year round. And Kipp Frohlich with Florida's Bureau of Protected Species Management, says even other countries where the animals can live, aren't doing much to save them (Kipp Frohlich, Biological Administrator, Bureau of Protected Species Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).... "What we do here is even more important: it really is the survival of the species worldwide. We can't depend on manatees being saved in some of the Central American countries where they are. We certainly have the ability and the wherewithal to do that here in Florida so really we're the key to saving the species really, worldwide." As manatees continue to die at a higher rate, scientists like James Powell don't like the forecast (James Powell, Ph.D., coordinator of the endangered and threatened species group, Florida Marine Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)... "Manatee mortality will reach a level where it may in some regions either have an effect on population growth or the stability of that population or contribute to a decrease." A recent report on last year's manatee deaths shows there might be new pockets of population forming... "(Frohlich) While its sad to find dead bodies, I think the reason we're finding them in other places is indicative of a range expansion. The manatees in some areas seem to be expanding the range of where they're commonly found." For more information visit floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. Copyright 2000, Kevin Pierce, Inc. |
