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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 13, 2001
CRYSTAL RIVER -- As temperatures continue to be reminiscent of summer, manatees continue to stay away from their traditional wintering areas in Kings Bay and surrounding waters.
In an aerial survey Tuesday, federal wildlife biologist Joyce Kleen counted 85 manatees, down slightly from a week earlier. Of that total, 64 were seen in Kings Bay.
A year ago in late November, nearly 400 manatees were seen with 300 in Kings Bay but the temperatures then were much cooler.
Usually the manatees congregate in warm water springs when the gulf temperatures drop but Tuesday the gulf temperature was 74 degrees at Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. That temperature is about two degrees warmer than this area's spring water.