Protecting manatees is an ongoing problem Florida faces year-round.
In 2021 alone, 1,101 manatees were killed, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Bird’s Underwater Dive Center is a manatee-touring facility in Crystal River focused on educating people about one of Florida’s most celebrated creatures.
Kayla O’Donnell, an in-water swim guide at the facility, hopes that by educating people about manatees, we can lower their mortality rate.
“We like to educate people on how to passively observe the manatees,” said O’Donnell, “which entails floating on the surface and keeping things really nice and easy…. That way the manatees have full range of their environment and we are not disturbing any of their natural processes.”
Swimmers aren’t the only threat to manatee safety, however. Boaters are also one of the largest contributors to manatee deaths due to collisions. That’s why Bird’s and O’Donnell are armed with tips on how boaters can recognize and avoid them in our waterways.
“We promote using polarized sunglasses in the water, that way you can see through and see if manatees are present,” said O’Donnell. “We also tell them how they move through the water. Manatees move in this motion which elicits a circle on the surface of the water… we call it their ‘tail print.’ That indicates which direction they’re going and how quickly, which can let boaters know they need to slow down and stop their engines and allow that manatee to pass on through.”
To learn more about manatee safety, visit: www.myfwc.com
Credits
Anchor: Alice Barlow
Reporters: Alice Barlow, Emmy McCarthy
Web Editor: Ethan Quick
Web Managing Editor: Chrisovaladou Pantelis
Graduate Assistant: McKenzie Muskett
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Stephanie Anderson, Wayne Garcia
