In 1989, the Service was unable to provide funds to continue 

 even a low-level tagging and tracking effort. Because of the 

 fundamental importance of radio-tagging and tracking data for 

 making management decisions and the lack of support from within 

 the Service, the staff of the Service's National Ecology Research 

 Center solicited contributions from other sources. Among other 

 things, it submitted a proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife 

 Foundation for funds to purchase tags and pay satellite 

 monitoring charges needed to carry the work forward. 



By letter of 13 January 1989, the Foundation asked the 

 Commission for comments on the proposal. The Commission reviewed 

 the status of the tagging program at its Annual Meeting on 23-25 

 February in Monterey, California. During the meeting, repre- 

 sentatives of the Service noted that there were no plans to 

 provide additional funding for radio-tracking work in 1989 and it 

 was learned that deployed tags would have to be removed from 

 animals within the next few weeks in the absence of additional 

 funds . 



Immediately after its meeting, the Commission responded to 

 the Foundation's request for comments on the Center's proposal. 

 By letter of 3 March 1989, the Commission strongly endorsed the 

 proposed project and noted that: the proposed technology for 

 tagging and monitoring manatees was now proven; the proposed 

 methodology is probably the only cost-effective way presently 

 available to gather detailed habitat use data needed for manatee- 

 related management decisions; and it would be a tragic setback 

 for the manatee program if the tagging work were not carried 

 forward. The Foundation subsequently provided the requested 

 funds to the National Ecology Research Center and, with 

 additional contributions from the Port Everglades Authority and 

 the Lockheed Space Operations Company, the Service was able to 

 maintain a manatee tracking effort in 1989. 



As discussed below, the Commission again recommended that 

 the Service expand support for this critical research in 1990. 

 As a partial contribution to that need, the Commission provided 

 funds to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help defray 

 some of the costs of purchasing new radio-tracking equipment (see 

 also Chapter X) . 



Identifying boat speed zones for manatees on nautical charts 

 — Over the past ten years, the Florida Department of Natural 

 Resources and the Fish and Wildlife Service have designated 

 approximately 25 areas in Florida as boat speed zones or no- 

 entry areas to protect manatees. Although they are posted with 

 signs, it was noted during the process of updating the Recovery 

 Plan that one of the best ways to increase boater awareness of 

 the need for caution in these areas would be to indicate their 

 presence on nautical charts published by the National Oceanic and 



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