agencies of the State of Florida including the Department of 
Natural Resources and the Game and Freshwater Fish Commission; 
Sea World of Florida; the Florida Power and Light Company; 
various conservation groups including the Florida Audubon 
Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Action on 
Endangered Species; and other interested persons. The 
purposes of the meeting were to provide for a thorough 
review and evaluation of manatee research and management 
efforts with benefit of broad participation and to seek the 
participants' views on Commission plans for investing the 
$100,000 appropriated for work on manatees. 
The meeting was held on February 21st and 22nd in 
Tampa, Florida, a location convenient for representatives of 
State and Federal agencies and other interested persons. 
During the full day devoted to review and evaluation of 
various factors affecting manatees, participants provided 
useful insights and suggestions to the Commission by concentrating 
on issues of special concern, deficiencies in on-going and 
planned programs, and ways to improve Federal/State/private 
communication and cooperation. Research and management 
activities either underway or under consideration were 
discussed as were ideas on steps which could and should be 
taken immediately to further protect and encourage the 
recovery of the manatee. Among the many topics discussed 
were: the Service's research on manatees, problems impairing 
the effectiveness of State and Federal enforcement efforts, 
the need for signs to warn boaters of manatees, the need to 
promptly complete the Manatee Recovery Plan, and Commission 
plans for investing its $100,000. 
Steps were taken to implement one part of the plan by 
immediately transferring $50,000 to the Fish and Wildlife 
Service to support the first year's work of a Manatee Recovery 
Activities Coordinator. The Director of the Service shared 
the Commission's view that the appointment of such a person 
was essential, and further agreed to pay for the Coordinator 
for two additional years. In 1980, the Coordinator became 
the primary force in developing concrete plans to implement 
the more general Manatee Recovery Plan, coordinated inter- 
agency activities, and assisted the Service's management 
team pending its appointment of a full-time staff person to 
manatee work. 
Subsequently, the Commission transferred $25,000 to the 
Service to support a pilot program to develop a site-specific 
research/management plan for the Crystal River area -- a 
plan designed to facilitate protection for the manatees and 
their habitat in that area as well as to serve as a prototype 
plan for other areas. In this instance, as with the support 
of the coordinator, the Service agreed to continue to underwrite 
