Warnings for Boaters with Manatee Migration
In mid-November, the Florida Conservation Commission presented a statement that is intended for all boaters in the Florida Keys. It states that the next couple of months will require everyone to pay extra attention to the waters around Florida when out boating, as this is the period in which manatees are starting to make their annual migration over to warm waters. As Manatees are relatively large sea creatures, their migration to warm water brings with it a host of possible issues that any boater can run into, ranging all the way from damages to the boat itself to severe injury to a Manatee.
The Commission has also specified that if you spot a Manatee when Key West fishing, it's important to slow the boat as best you can, as Manatees tend to gather underwater and are often pretty difficult to spot, even when you're looking out for them. While a Manatee strike can do damage to your boat, the primary reason that the statement was issued by the Conservation Commission is to protect this aquatic mammal. This is due to the fact that they are currently a rare species that are exceedingly important to Florida for both economical and environmental reasons.
Despite the fact that Manatees are so huge and tend to swim in more shallow waters, which is one of the reasons as to why boat strikes occur, Manatees are highly difficult to spot, as the only aspect of the mammal that comes above water is the nose. This is only done in order for them to receive air every once in a while. Most of the time, you won't know they are there until your boat is over them. Thankfully, it is believed that no Manatee has yet to be injured or killed due to boat strikes this migration season, though there have been a total of just under 60 such strikes that have injured Manatees in the state of Florida since January, which is why caution is extra important during the time that they migrate.
The reason that Manatees choose this time of year to migrate to warmer waters is due to the fact that they cannot survive in colder waters under around 70 degrees, as they don't have enough blubber to keep them alive in colder waters. Thankfully, there are a number of things that you can do when out Key West fishing that will allow you to safeguard your boat from hitting a Manatee as it's migrating. First of all, polarized sunglasses can help out tremendously when you're out on your boat, as wearing them will provide you with a means of spotting circular patterns in the water that point towards any amount of Manatees being directly below the water where the spots can be seen, allowing you to move your boat before it strikes one. It's also recommended that you be extra careful when taking your boat anywhere near sea grass beds that are relatively shallow, as Manatees tend to feed in these spots.