All boaters in Florida use Florida’s marine ecosystem. As boaters, everyone should pay attention to the effects on the environment, since the waters we enjoy may be impacted by our actions. Every boater should learn and use safe boating practices that will protect Florida’s manatees, all wildlife, and waterways.

With regard to ecosystem impacts, personal watercraft operators may increase the water turbidity in areas where they operate their vessels, which not only makes it harder to see things in the water but also blocks the light that seagrass and other plants need to survive. In addition, if not operated in the appropriate areas, these vessels may also blast out holes in seagrass systems and may disturb manatees or other wildlife in prime habitat areas. As a personal watercraft operator, you should understand how your vessel could affect wildlife and habitat in order to operate your vessel in a way that minimizes ecosystem impacts.

Approximately 25 to 30 percent of manatee deaths statewide are attributed to watercrafts. In recent years, manatee deaths by blunt-force impacts have outpaced manatee deaths caused by propeller cuts, with a minimal portion of the deaths/injuries attributed to both causes.

The faster a boat is driven, the more force is applied to a strike. For example, the force of a strike at 30 miles per hour is four times that of a strike at 15 miles per hour, all other factors being equal. If a watercraft strikes a manatee in the head, such as while a manatee is taking a breath, the animal may die immediately. Strikes in other areas can result in acute injuries that quickly result in death but also result in chronic injuries that may linger for days, weeks, or longer before the manatee passes away. Internal injuries, such as broken or dislocated ribs, can also result in death from internal bleeding or infection.

Here are some things you can do when boating or operating a personal watercraft to make sure you are not injuring manatees:

• Abide by posted speed zone signs
• Wear polarized glasses to reduce glare on the surface of the water, which will help you to see manatees more easily
• Try to stay in deep-water channels
• Avoid boating over seagrass beds and shallow areas, where manatees are often found
• Do not discard monofilament line, hooks, or any other litter into the water, as manatees and other wildlife could ingest the debris or become entangled in it and become injured or die
• If you see a swirl on the surface of the water or see the animals back, snout, tail or flipper break through the surface, keep your distance, so you don’t hurt the animal with your boat

Our team at Manatee Eco-Tours out of Naples, Florida works diligently to create and offer well-planned, interactive learning experiences that introduce small groups of travelers to manatees and their environment, while supporting conservation efforts and encouraging an overall respect for the environment. We are a local, year-round family run operation devoted to sharing our knowledge of manatees and other wildlife that share their environment.

Some fun facts we share regarding manatees include:

• Manatees feed on more than 60 species of plants, which include turtle grass, manatee grass, shoal grass, and mangrove leaves.
• On average, one manatee is born to a mama manatee every two to five years. Also, it is very rare for twin manatees to be born, but it does occur.
• With regard to the number of manatees currently in Florida, for the third straight year, spotters have counted more than 6,000 manatees navigating through Florida’s beautiful and warm waters.
• There are three species of manatees, including the Amazonian manatee, the West Indian manatee and the West African manatee.

Knowledge of manatees and their gentle and slow-moving nature, eating habits, resting habits, and mating habits, is key in understanding them and participating in protecting them and their habitat. Manatees have no known natural enemies and these beautiful creatures are a wonderful sight to see and observe.

Manatee Eco-tours out of Naples, Florida is a must on your to-do list when visiting the Naples area. We will take the entire family and/or group of friends on an exciting 1 ½ hour personal boat tour into a remote everglades manatee hideout, where you are sure to see manatees at very close range and enjoy their magnificence. Our eco-adventure tour is fun for all ages, with no high speeds and no rough waters to navigate. The boats are fully covered for comfort and safety.