nieworld.com

Teachers

Students

Families

Projects

Email NIE

Wednesday, May 23, 2001

Florida´s boating culture unfriendly to manatees

News-Journal Editorial

This could be a good week for manatees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could decide to make Brevard County waters safer for sea cows.

Although some boaters are screaming as loud as their engines, commission officials shouldn´t hesitate to slow the boats in waterways where manatees are vulnerable to high-speed hits.

Manatees face numerous threats -- disease, cold water and dwindling habitat from the development of marinas, boat ramps and docks. But creating a marine environment where boaters and manatees can coexist is one of the most difficult challenges. Boats have become the natural enemies of manatees, who often can´t get out of the way fast enough or are turned into manatee tartare by churning props.

As part of a settlement of a lawsuit brought against the state for failing to do enough to protect manatees, the conservation commission agreed to do more to protect manatees from boats that are moving too fast through areas where sea cows are swimming or feeding. Brevard County becomes the first test of the commission´s resolve this week, with a proposal to change boat speeds though several waterways. The boating industry, boaters and anglers are as usual -- aghast.

Changes in boat speed zones would affect portions of Turnbull Basin near Titusville, the Merritt Island Barge Canal, Sykes Creek, the shoreline of the Indian River south of the NASA Causeway and the Banana River. In some places, speeds would be restricted to 25 mph. In others, speeds would be reduced from 25 mph to slow. The changes would help prevent another year like the last one, in which Brevard recorded 13 of the 78 manatee deaths statewide that involved boats.

Recreational boaters and anglers angrily contend they are the real victims, not manatees. They say the deaths are caused by big boats and barges, which undoubtedly contribute to the problem. But big boats and barges aren´t pulling water skiers or running at high speed to get to fishing spots. There also aren´t as many of them.

Slowing boats down is the only real way to reduce the danger when manatees and boats share a waterway. Putting the new rules into effect this week is a necessary step to change the culture of boating in Florida to a more manatee-friendly style.

But reduced boat speeds aren´t self-enforcing. The state consistently neglects to put enough wildlife officers on the water to ticket speeders. Without adequate marine enforcement, declaring every waterway in Florida an idle zone would be ineffective.

Boats will continue to decimate manatees until the state matches its speed zones with the manpower to make them stick.

Copyright © 2008 NIE WORLD (www.nieworld.com). All content copyrighted and may not be republished without permission. The News-Journal has no control over and is not responsible for content on other Web sites. Privacy Policy.