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United States of America

Status and distribution

Florida manatees are found on both sides of the peninsula, which represents the northern limit of the specie's year-round range. Some individuals migrate to southern Georgia during the summer and occasionally, animals are sighted as far north as Virginia. Greatest numbers are seen in the St. Johns river, the Banana and Indian rivers to Jupiter Inlet, and Biscayne Bay on the east coast; and at the Suwannee, Crystal and Homossassa rivers, Tampa Bay, the Charlotte Harbor/Matlacha Pass/San Carlos Bay region, and in the creeks, rivers and bays of the Everglades, on the west coast (Lefebvre et al. 1989).

The latest and comprehensive aerial survey of 1992, revealed a minimum population size of 1856 manatees in Florida (Ackerman 1992) with similar proportions on both sides of the state.

Major threats and conservation problems

Human-related factors take the heaviest toll of the manatee population every year. Boat collisions represent the most important known mortality factor, but manatees are also vulnerable to drowning or infection as a result of entanglement in commercial fishing gear, entrapment water control structures, poaching and vandalism. Among natural causes of mortality, deaths associated with unusually low winter temperature are prevalent (O'Shea et al. 1985). The number of deaths of dependent calves has been on the rise in the past years (Ackerman et al. 1992). Coastal residential and commercial development continues to threat manatee habitat (Packard and Wetterqvist 1986). Interactions of tourists with manatees also have the potential to harm manatees in various ways, and need to be closely monitored in the future.

National legislation and conservation measures

Florida manatees are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and receive full protection under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. They are also protected under the Florida Endangered and Threatened species Act of 1977 and the Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. A recovery plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1989) for the Florida manatee, formulated with the long-term aim of downlisting the species from endangered to threatened, is presently under implementation in Florida. The United States of America is Party to the CITES Convention since 1975 and has signed the SPAW Protocol.

Protective measures include the designation of 21 manatee sanctuaries to date, establishment and enforcement of boat speed zones throughout portions of the state in areas of manatee use, review and regulation of coastal development projects through county plans. The Save the Manatee Club has been instrumental at raising public awareness for the plight of the manatee, by means of information and education programmes.

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