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Refuges and restrictions
By CRAIG PITTMAN © St. Petersburg Times, published December 8, 2000 Concerned about the state's sluggish efforts to protect endangered manatees, federal wildlife officials have picked 150 potential sites around Florida where they can order restrictions or even forbid boat traffic and other human activity.
Around Tampa Bay, potential refuge or sanctuary sites are Weedon Island, Port Sutton, Apollo Beach, the eastern shore of Old Tampa Bay and Sulphur Springs. They include Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, the Anclote River, Whitcomb Springs and Spring Bayou; the eastern shore of Anclote Key; and areas near Port Richey and Hudson. The proposal has already stirred up some angry boaters who have accused federal officials of using secret police-like tactics. At a workshop on the proposed sites Tuesday in Fort Myers, federal biologists were nearly drowned out by what one attendee called "a one-way screaming match."
But boater Bill Stokes of St. Petersburg said he would not mind what he called "a minor inconvenience of recreational activities" to save the species. "I am very concerned this animal will go extinct in our lifetime," he said. Scientists estimate that 2,200 to 2,500 manatees remain in Florida waters. Right now, the population "is sitting on the fence," federal biologist Cameron Shaw said. "They are holding their own or slightly increasing in certain parts of the state, but in other parts, they may be in a shallow decline. Things could go either way, depending on our actions," he said. That's why it is important to take action to cut boat-related deaths, he said. Boats killed 82 of the 269 manatees that died last year, making watercraft collisions the largest single cause of death. Half of the slow-moving manatees died from being clobbered by speeding boat hulls and half from being slashed by propellers, Shaw said. Although some boaters believe propeller guards can protect a manatee from being sliced up, Shaw said the guards act like a fillet knife. Although manatees have been on the federal endangered species list since its inception, for the past decade the federal agency has let state officials take the lead in restricting boaters. That has not worked out the way they expected. In 1989, then-Gov. Bob Martinez and his Cabinet ordered 13 coastal counties to create manatee protection plans. The plans had to detail where docks, marinas and boat ramps should go, and mandate slow-speed zones, boater education and more enforcement to catch speeders. The idea was to steer large numbers of boats away from waters where manatees congregate. In some areas, the state has stepped in and set go-slow zones to protect manatees. But so far, only five counties -- Collier, Miami-Dade, Duval, Citrus and Indian River -- have full-fledged manatee protection plans in place. Earlier this year, Gov. Jeb Bush expressed dismay at the lack of progress, and federal wildlife officials feel the same way. "We became very concerned about the pace at which the manatee protection plans are proceeding," Shaw said. That prompted federal officials to start planning a network of refuges and sanctuaries. In a refuge, the federal agency would set speed zones and other restrictions on boating. In a sanctuary, the agency would likely ban all activity, including boating, swimming, snorkeling and diving, although Shaw said such a ban might last only part of the year. After meeting with state and local environmental officials and manatee biologists, the Fish and Wildlife Service has come up with maps showing 150 possible sites for protection, based primarily on where manatees and boaters most often cross paths. Shaw conceded that 150 locations is "a very ambitious endeavor. It's improbable that we will enact 150 sites at one time." It's more likely the federal agency would space them out over a period of several years, he said. Budget constraints are likely to govern how many refuges and sanctuaries are designated. The federal agency's assistant field supervisor, Pete Benjamin, said officials are "not going to designate 150 of them if we only have the resources to manage a couple of dozen." After this week's workshops and another round slated next week for the east coast and Palatka, federal officials will draw up a proposed rule designating the first group of refuges and sanctuaries. That should be ready by February. After public hearings, the agency would be ready to issue a final version in June. Some of the areas being considered currently have no restrictions at all. Karen Ciemniecki, a Sierra Club member from Bradenton, praised the biologists for including the Manatee and Braden rivers as potential sites, noting that right now, "there are areas where we see manatees giving birth and Jet Skis are running through."
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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Boaters and fishing guides at a workshop Monday night in Crystal River complained that they already have enough regulations to contend with. At a St. Petersburg workshop Wednesday, boater Charles Eldridge of Tampa said the state is doing plenty to protect manatees without "the federal government coming down here and telling us what to do. . . . You've got some rather large areas here where you're going to create tremendous turmoil."
