We want to remind boaters and waterfront residents to be mindful of our manatees!
Check out these “Save the Manatee” signs, available for FREE from Save the Manatee Club at https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/get-resources/ or by calling 407-539-0990. Mention the City of St. Augustine when you call to find out other ways you can support these great marine mammals.
Human activities are harming manatees, and only our compassion and action can protect them. Most of you know that manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammal. They are listed as vulnerable at the international level by the IUCN World Conservation Union. They are listed as threatened at the federal level by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and at the state level by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Their listing status is largely due to human activity. Since record-keeping began in 1974, more than 41% of manatee deaths where cause of death was identified were human-related – and almost 34% were due to watercraft collisions (the largest known cause of manatee deaths). With increased awareness, education, regulations, and enforcement, manatee deaths caused by humans could be substantially reduced, and the eventual recovery of the species could be realized.”
