Groups such as the Save the Manatee club, along with eighteen other environmental and conservation groups sued the Federal government, Humane Society, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to have them set up much more restrictive speed zones in their effort to "save the manatee from extinction."
It is true that boats can and do kill manatee; so do cruise ships and tankers, and as attested by most knowledgeable researchers, they kill more than recreational boaters three to one. Last year, the conservationist records indicate that 82 manatees were killed by "boaters". What the records do not reflect is that this is far below the natural mortality rate for the species. Boaters only accounted for 25% of all manatee deaths year over year.
About Ecotourism Guide Ellen Scott has even written an article about these friendly giants. She is out of the political fray, but quite often people reading these articles will make rash assumptions that simply are not accurate!
Capt. Pat Riley, harbor master at the Centennial Harbor Marina in Fort Myers, says in a BOAT US article that the facts just are not getting out. According to Riley, the manatee population has grown from a low of 600 animals in 1967 to an all time high of 2400 in 2000. By Save the Manatee Club's own recent aerial count, that population is at 3276. That's almost a six fold increase in manatees while boater registrations over that same period of time in Florida have grown from 300,000 in 1974 to a current 1,200,000. So even though there are more boats on the water, the conservation efforts currently in place have allowed manatees to increase their numbers dramatically.
Florida Sportsman Magazine has the pertinent information on what the law suit is insisting. In some cases it is asking that motor boating be completely prohibited. In other cases it asks that existing rules and zones be extended, and that new zones be added.
Whatever your stance on this issue, the fact still remains that anglers and conservationists are at odds. CCA of Florida has finally stepped up to the issue and is bringing it out in the open so that the entire public can understand what is going on behind the scenes. I suspect that had the lawsuits been publicized, the general public opinion would have been stirred when the restrictive nature of the issue came to light. This is not a fishing vs. no fishing issue. This is, in my opinion, a boating rights issue balanced against, given the increase in manatee numbers, an unreasonable set of restrictions.
Those of you in other states take heed to this dilemma in Florida. It may not affect you directly, but it does indicate just how far liberal conservationists will go to have their agenda made law. If you don't support your local fishing/boating organization like CCA or BOAT US, you need to get involved.
