Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) . Therefore, the Commission 

 agreed to help make arrangements for doing so. 



As noted in last year's Annual Report, the Commission wrote 

 to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in mid- 

 1988 noting the importance and need for marking regulated areas 

 to protect manatees on charts. In response, the agency noted 

 that, while there were certain constraints in its abilities to 

 add such information to the charts, it would be pleased to 

 consider requests to do so. Representatives of the Commission 

 and NOAA's Office of Charting and Geodetic Services subsequently 

 met to discuss procedures and information for submitting 

 applications to list areas on the charts. 



Based on the discussions, the Commission, in consultation 

 with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Department of 

 Natural Resources, wrote to the Office on 10 March 1989 

 suggesting that the Service, in cooperation with the Department, 

 assume the lead in assembling and submitting all charting 

 applications related to manatees. The letter also suggested the 

 type and form of information to be included in each application, 

 possible chart notations, and an updated draft text on manatees 

 for use in the Office's publication, Coast Pilot , which provides 

 regional advice on navigation to vessel operators. 



On 10 April, the Office responded favorably to the suggested 

 approach and, on 1 May 1989, the Commission wrote to the Service 

 and the Florida Department of Natural Resources asking them to 

 develop the needed applications. The two agencies agreed and, on 

 2 October 1989, the Fish and Wildlife Service submitted 

 applications for charting existing boat speed zones and manatee 

 sanctuaries to the Office. Because of the schedule for updating 

 nautical charts for Florida, it will take several years for all 

 areas to be added. Applications for other existing zones and for 

 speed zones established in the future will be forwarded to the 

 Office following the established procedures. 



Land acquisition — In recent years, the Commission has 

 worked closely with both the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 

 State of Florida to identify manatee habitat appropriate for 

 purchasing and adding to systems of Federal and State Refuges, 

 Reserves, Preserves, Parks, etc . In 1984, the Commission 

 completed a report on habitat protection needs for manatees in 

 the Crystal River area of northwest peninsular Florida (see 

 Appendix B, Marine Mammal Commission 1984) . The report was used 

 to develop a cooperative Federal-State approach for acquiring 

 essential manatee habitat in that part of Florida. 



Since 1984, much has been done to acquire a network of key 

 manatee habitat areas in northwest peninsular Florida. Among 

 other things, the State purchased lands along the Crystal River 

 and the head of the Homosassa River (critical travel corridors 



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