Manatee deaths were up again in Florida in 2020, and the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has written a draft of new legislation that would require all boat operators to have a boater safety identification card by January 1, 2023.
Last year, 593 manatees died in Florida, according to the commission, almost two dozen more than the average number of deaths in the previous five years. The commission estimates that 90 of the 593 were killed by boats. The actual number of boat-related deaths is probably higher, because the state stopped doing autopsies for two months last spring during of a Covid-19 shutdown; no cause of death was listed for almost 200 manatees.
More than 961,000 boats are registered in Florida, an increase from previous years as more people turned to boating during the pandemic. Many were new to boating.
Current state regulations require boat operators who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, to complete a boater safety course. The commission’s draft proposal would require all boaters to carry a new safety ID card, issued by the commission, starting Jan. 1, 2023. The idea is to prevent more boat-caused manatee deaths. We don’t have any other details.
Martine de Wit, a veterinarian with the state’s marine mammal lab, said that two-thirds of the manatees the lab examined this summer were hit by boats.
The commission estimates that at least 7,250 manatees live in Florida. They can grow to be more than 13 feet long and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. As most Florida boaters know, the mammals appear to be slow and friendly, although they can move as fast as 15 mph.
It urges boaters to obey speed regulations and no-wake zones and to keep powerboats at least 50 feet away from a manatee. Boats also should avoid going over shallow seagrass beds; sea grass is the manatee’s preferred food. Anyone who sees an injured manatee should call 1-888-404-3922. Read more:
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