Continued Studies of Manatees in Southeast United States and 



Puerto Rico 



(Whitney Tilt, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington, 



D.C.) 



In 1988, the Commission sponsored studies to: determine 

 whether sectioning and analysis of bone samples could be used to 

 determine the age of manatees; develop and use a geographic 

 information system to assist in identifying and protecting 

 critical manatee habitats; and determine the movements and 

 seasonal habitat use patterns of manatees. These projects and 

 related studies conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Florida Department of 

 Natural Resources contributed to the development of conservation 

 programs for manatees and their habitats in Florida and Puerto 

 Rico. In 1989, the Commission provided funds to the National 

 Fish and Wildlife Foundation to assist it in augmenting Federal 

 and State efforts to: (a) initiate bone-aging studies to 

 determine the age structure and the age-specific survival and 

 reproductive rates of manatees in the southeastern United States; 

 (b) digitize maps and support other efforts to expedite 

 development of a computerized geographic information system for 

 use in identifying and determining how best to regulate human 

 activities that may adversely affect manatees and their habitat 

 in Florida and adjacent states; and (c) use satellite-linked 

 radio tracking technology to determine the habitat use patterns 

 and critical habitats of manatees in the United States and Puerto 

 Rico. The results of these projects will be used by the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service and the Florida Department of Natural Resources, 

 in consultation with the Commission, to evaluate and improve 

 manatee conservation programs. 



Popular Article on the West Indian Manatee 

 (Robin Meadows, Martinez, California) 



The plight of the endangered West Indian manatee is among 

 the most pressing of wildlife conservation issues. The largest 

 known extant concentration of manatees is in Florida (see Chapter 

 III). In 1988, 32 percent of the 134 manatees known to have died 

 in Florida were killed by collisions with boats and barges. 

 Also, as Florida's human population swells, less and less habitat 

 remains for manatees. To better inform the public about the need 

 to protect manatees from collisions with vessels and to conserve 

 valuable manatee habitat, the Commission contracted for a popular 

 article aimed at increasing public awareness of how human 

 activities affect manatees in Florida and the steps that are 

 being taken to protect them. The article discusses aspects of 

 natural history and behavior which render the manatee vulnerable 

 to loss of critical habitat and collisions with recreational and 

 commercial vessel traffic. It stresses the need for controlling 

 vessel speeds in manatee "zones" and conserving important sea- 



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