Term Paper on "Florida Manatee Conservation Efforts"

Term Paper 6 pages (1848 words) Sources: 9

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Florida Manatee Conservation Efforts

Saving the Gentle Giants of Florida

Gliding through the water on paddle-shaped fins, the manatee, otherwise known as the "sea cow," looks like a larger, more passive version of a seal. Adults can weigh around 1,000 pounds and are typically 9 to 10 feet long, but have the potential to grow as large as 13 feet and weigh more than 3,000 pounds (Reynolds and Odell). Compared to the males, female manatees tend to grow bigger in weight and length (Odell).

Manatees are herbivorous creatures, subsisting on seagrass and other types of aquatic vegetation. The sea mammal has few natural predators and can live for several decades, with adult females giving birth approximately once every three years. The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) has two subspecies, the Florida manatee (Trichedhus manatus latirostris) and the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus). The subject of this paper, the Florida manatee, can be found in freshwater, saltwater, and brackish (combined fresh and salt water) habitats in Florida and southeastern Georgia. Completely dependent on warm water, manatees must migrate to south Florida and natural warm water springs during the winter or when the water temperature dips below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Another popular manatee location during the winter is around industrial plants and power plant discharges, which provide man-made sources of warm water (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Florida Ecological Services Office Website

Manatee population is a bit of a mystery. Throughout history, there has never been an exact number recorded of the species. Aerial surveys are performed every year, however, due to fluctuating weather conditions, manatee behavior, and water clarity, scientists are reluctant to use these surveys as an accurate representation of manatee population. Currently, scientists monitor adult survival rates, reproduction, and population growth rates to assess population (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Florida Ecological Services Office Website).

Despite the fact that manatees have few natural predators, there are other natural and human-related hazards that threaten the species. Natural threats include poisoning from red tide, hurricanes, and exposure to cold temperatures. Human-related threats include collisions with watercraft, loss of warm water habitats, water pollution or direct destruction of seagrass or other aquatic foods, and being trapped or crushed by flood gates and canal structures.

The greatest human-related threat to manatees is death or injury due to collisions with watercraft. At least 78 manatees were killed by watercraft in 2000. Another key threat is the loss of reliable warm water habitats that help the manatees survive the cold winter months. Increased water supply demands are impacting natural springs and there may be a need to replace aging power plants. Also, as the power industry faces deregulation, the man-made sources of warm water may also be affected. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Florida Ecological Services Office Website).

Water pollution and direct destruction of the seagrass and aquatic vegetation that manatees consume is also a major concern. Industrial chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides are found in manatee habitat, thus contaminating the water and vegetation and encouraging build up of these chemicals in manatee tissue. However, some studies have indicated that pesticide residues in manatee tissues are below levels of pathologic significance and that manatees are relatively uncontaminated by mercury, lead, or organochlorines (O'Shea, et al.).

Additional threats to the manatee are flood gates and canal structures. These mechanisms can kill manatees by crushing them or trapping them underwater until they drown. In Dade County, Florida, this problem is particularly severe, as automatic flood-control structures kill more manatees than boat traffic (Frohlich 2000).

Conservation Efforts

Although the manatee's circumstances may seem grim, there are many positive conservation and recovery efforts, legal protection, and public education endeavors being applied to help this endangered animal. Federal, state, and local government and industry protection is available, as well as encouragement and support from private organizations and citizens. For example, the State of Florida has implemented a large number of manatee speed zones in Florida rivers, bays, and various waterways. State-approved manatee protection plans are currently underway in Duval, Dade, Citrus, and Collier counties. Also, to help protect the manatees in Crystal River, Florida, seven federal manatee sanctuaries have been established (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Florida Ecological Services Office Website).

Additionally, private marine facilities, such as large aquaria and zoos, along with a broad network of manatee volunteers and specialists, help rescue a number of sick and injured manatees every year. Once rehabilitated, these animals are reintroduced to the wild.

Efforts to reduce water pollution are also in place to help restore and maintain aquatic vegetation. Plus, to help prevent the number of manatee deaths related to flood-control structures, navigation locks are now being equipped with pressure-sensitive protection devices that can sense a manatee's presence. But despite the fact that this technology shows immense potential, there is still more testing and fine-tuning needed to ensure that these structures are completely safe for manatees (Frohlich).

An important source of manatee protection comes from The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress, this act was created to provide for the conservation of endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants, and for other purposes (Endangered Species Act of 1973). In addition, the manatees are also protected under the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972).

These laws make it illegal to "take" manatees, which basically means the act of harming, harassing, injuring, or killing these animals. According to section 7 of the ESA, which focuses on interagency cooperation, federal agencies have the authority to evaluate development impacts on manatees and their habitat, thus making sure that development efforts do not endanger the species or its continued existence. These agencies also have the authority to enforce and establish state and federal manatee protection areas, which are designated to prevent take, and include manatee sanctuaries and refuges.

The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act offers another form of protection for manatees. And in 1989, a state policy further identified 13 key counties which needed to create manatee protection plans (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Florida Ecological Services Office Website).

The Recovery Plan: Five-Year Review

In 2001, a third revision of the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan was published. But as of 2007, a 5-Year Review on the West Indian Manatee was completed by the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the 5-Year Review, it was recommended to down list the manatee from an endangered to a threatened status. While this is good news, the mammal is still in a precarious situation and must continue to be closely monitored and protected (West Indian Manatee 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region).

There is a tremendous amount of controversy and conflict related to the Florida manatee recovery efforts. Significant challenges must be faced as the human population in Florida grows along with related development, a rise in recreational boating activity, and expected changes to the network of warm water sources.

The 5-Year-Review further indicates that, "…the current recovery criteria for the Florida manatee are flawed and need to be updated based on the definitions in the ESA and significant recent improvements in science allowing the Service to better assess and quantify threats on the viability of the subspecies."

On the Atlantic coast, in the Northwest regions of peninsular Florida, and in the upper St. Johns River, there is a rise in the Florida manatees population growth rates. Yet in southwest Florida, manatee populations may be slightly waning though statistical confidence intervals are broad. At the time of the review, the statewide manatee population was estimated at approximately 3,300 animals.

To address and minimize the ongoing threat of watercraft-related manatee deaths and injuries, extensive regulatory frameworks and measures exist at both the federal and state levels. It was noted, however, that these measures are not effective enough to prevent a decline of manatees in southwest Florida because of the combined effect of other threats such as red tide.

Further work on this matter has been done to protect and ensure the long-term availability of warm water sources but measures are not yet in place. Without the protection of these surrogate warm water sources, the population of the Florida manatee could decline and potentially heighten the risk of extinction on either Florida coast (West Indian Manatee 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region).

What's Next?

Per the North Florida Ecological Services Office, there are key, logical next steps that need to be taken in order to ensure the survival of the magnificent Florida manatee. As stated earlier, four Florida counties have state-approved manatee protection plans, and the remaining nine key counties and several others have implemented speed zones for manatees. However, there are still no protective measures in place for manatees in some counties where watercraft-related injury and mortality continue to occur. There is also a strong belief… READ MORE

How to Reference "Florida Manatee Conservation Efforts" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Ecological Approach to Management ; Invasive Species Essay

Ecosystems / Invasive Species

The Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM) follows ten basic principles. The first is hierarchical context, which insists on examining biodiversity at ever level within the ecosystem… read more

Essay 3 pages (1022 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Environment / Conservation / Ecology

---

Phosphogypsum Stack Reclamation Term Paper

Phosphogypsum Stack Reclamation

Data-gathering Method

Database of the Study

An Analysis of Phosphogypsum Stack Reclamation

The types of contaminants that emanate from anthropogenic sources are extremely varied and range from… read more

Term Paper 18 pages (4983 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Environment / Conservation / Ecology

---

US Endangered Species Act Research Proposal

Endangered Species Act

US Endangered Species Act: An Annotated Bibliography

Preserving our biological heritage in an important issue for all of humanity. For various reasons many species of plants and… read more

Research Proposal 12 pages (3752 words) Sources: 20 Topic: Animals / Nature / Zoology

---

Endangered Species Green Sea Turtles Term Paper

Endangered Species

Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species of reptiles, one of the few animals to have seen the mighty dinosaurs grow extinct. Sea turtles are as old as… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (2208 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Oceanography / Marine Organisms

---

Red Tides Affect in the Gulf of Mexico Thesis

Red Tides on the Gulf of Mexico

The world's oceans form the basis for a food web that extends to virtually all living organisms, including human beings. The health of… read more

Thesis 8 pages (3219 words) Sources: 20 Style: MLA Topic: Oceanography / Marine Organisms

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>