boat speed zones in areas of the Everglades National Park 

 where vessel traffic and manatee collisions are most likely 

 to occur. 



The draft report also includes recommendations that: 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service strengthen public education 

 efforts by identifying and acquiring sites for strategically 

 located visitor centers; the Save the Manatee Committee 

 assume responsibility from the Florida Department of Natural 

 Resources for conducting public awareness efforts; the 

 Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, the U.S. Army 

 Corps of Engineers, the Florida Trustees of the Internal 

 Improvement Trust Fund, and the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 coordinate their efforts to establish specific manatee 

 protection standards for permit and leasing decisions for 

 boating facilities in essential manatee habitat areas; the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service increase funding for its Sirenian 

 Research Project; the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 

 Florida Department of Natural Resources ensure that funding 

 for the manatee salvage and necropsy program is continued; 

 and the Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Department of 

 Natural Resources develop additional site-specific research 

 and management plans, such as the one developed for the 

 Crystal River area, for other areas of Florida. 



At the end of 1986, the Commission looked forward to 

 receiving the final report early in 1987. It is anticipated 

 that the report will be used by involved Federal and State 

 agencies and private organizations, as well as the Commission 

 and its Committee of Scientific Advisors, in deciding what 

 additional steps should be taken to enhance and coordinate 

 their respective efforts to protect the Florida population of 

 West Indian manatees. 



As noted in previous Annual Reports, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission recommended in 1980 that the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service undertake a pilot project to develop a site-specific 

 research and management plan for manatees. The recommen- 

 dation was based on the understanding that local planning and 

 development patterns, as well as local manatee distribution 

 and abundance, would determine specific manatee conservation 

 strategies that should be adopted. The Service agreed with 

 the recommendation and, with partial funding from the 

 Commission, undertook a study to develop a proposed research/ 

 management plan for Crystal River manatees. The Plan was 

 completed and adopted by the Service in 1984 and it has been 

 provided to relevant State, Federal, and local authorities. 

 It is currently used by the Service and other agencies in 

 assessing decisions likely to affect manatees and their 

 essential habitat in the Crystal River area. 



102 



