MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
Degradation and loss of habitat due to coastal 
development are also major threats to the continued 
existence of manatees. In the late 1980s, Florida’s 
human population grew at a net rate of more than 
1,000 people a day, although this rate has declined 
slightly in the past two years. Much of the associated 
development has been concentrated along coastal 
waters and rivers important to manatees. The result- 
ing siltation, nutrient enrichment, and other forms of 
water pollution, as well as removal or filling of 
wetlands by construction projects, either degrade or 
destroy manatee habitat. Factors decreasing water 
clarity may be particularly important because they 
reduce the vigor and extent of seagrasses used by 
manatees for food. Development along waterways 
also eliminates natural, secluded areas for mating, 
calving, and nursing. Such effects generally reduce 
the capacity of coastal and river ecosystems to support 
manatees and other aquatic life native to Florida. In 
the long term, loss of habitat and environmental 
pollution may well pose the most serious threats to 
manatees. 
Past Recovery Activities 
The Fish and Wildlife Service is the Federal 
agency with lead responsibility for recovery of West 
Indian manatees under both the Endangered Species 
Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. At the 
state level, the Florida Department of Natural Re- 
sources has assumed an increasingly prominent role in 
carrying out many fundamental research and manage- 
ment functions. However, because of the nature and 
extent of needed recovery efforts, many other Federal 
and State agencies, industry groups, and public and 
private organizations also are involved and contribute 
greatly. 
Concerted efforts to organize a cooperative pro- 
gram regarding manatees began with the development 
of a recovery plan, adopted by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service in 1980. The Marine Mammal Commission 
worked closely with the Service to help draft and 
implement the plan (see previous annual reports). 
Although ensuing cooperative efforts were generally 
well placed, they were insufficient, given the magni- 
tude of increases in vessel traffic and shoreline 
construction in Florida. As a result, vessel-related 
manatee deaths increased significantly (see Table 2), 
and essential manatee habitat, such as grassbed 
feeding areas, continued to be degraded or destroyed. 
Therefore in 1987 the Commission recommended 
that the Service reexamine the entire recovery pro- 
gram to better address the fundamental problems and 
to update the Recovery Plan accordingly. The Service 
shared the Commission’s concerns and began working 
closely with all involved parties to do so. To help 
accomplish this, the Commission prepared two re- 
ports, the first reviewing manatee recovery program 
needs (see Appendix B, Reynolds and Gluckman 
1988) and the second identifying specific actions 
needed to protect manatee habitat on the Atlantic coast 
of Florida and Georgia (see Appendix B, Marine 
Mammal Commission 1989). 
With broad support for the effort, work on up- 
dating the plan was soon completed. The revised 
Recovery Plan was adopted by the Service in May 
1989 and signed by the heads of 12 cooperating 
Federal and State agencies and private organizations, 
including the Marine Mammal Commission. The 
revision provided a clear framework for action and 
called for a significant increase in efforts and commit- 
ments by almost all involved parties. 
Specifically, the revised plan called for expanding 
satellite tagging and tracking of manatees to gather 
more precise information on manatee habitat-use 
patterns; improving the manatee salvage and necropsy 
program to better detect and monitor mortality trends; 
speeding development of a geographic information 
system to store, manipulate, and retrieve data for 
research and management purposes; enlarging the 
system of boat speed regulatory zones; strengthening 
enforcement of established zones; adding key manatee 
habitat to existing Federal and State refuge and 
reserve systems; and controlling development in key 
manatee areas. 
While the revised plan called for increased efforts 
by most cooperating agencies and organizations, the 
greatest demands fell on the Fish and Wildlife Service 
and the Florida Department of Natural Resources. 
Both agencies have worked diligently to meet their ex- 
panded commitments. 
