News

By Alex Russell, Director of Education and Online Communications

With temperatures warming up for the summer, manatees have left their winter sanctuaries and dispersed across Florida’s rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters. Some may even leave Florida altogether; manatees have been sighted as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts! With manatees traveling far and wide, many people will encounter these gentle aquatic mammals while boating, paddling, or swimming. While these moments can be magical, they can become harmful if we don’t take care to observe from a respectful distance.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, harassment includes any action that alters a manatee’s natural behavior. Even small disturbances over time create real harm, causing them to leave important feeding areas, lose their natural fear of boats and humans, or become stressed in ways we can’t recognize. And in summer, when manatees are more dispersed and harder to monitor, these threats are even more difficult to track and prevent.

This is why education is essential, and that’s where you can help. Save the Manatee Club offers free public awareness materials that make it easy to spread the word. Whether you’re a business owner, park ranger, paddling outfitter, or concerned citizen, you can request or download materials to display or hand out. View the materials you can download or request at savethemanatee.org/publicawareness and email requests to education@savethemanatee.org. We also offer materials specifically for teachers and educational groups, with those resources available to view at savethemanatee.org/education. We also encourage everyone to:

• Look, but don’t touch or feed. Practice “passive observation” and observe manatees from above water and at a distance. Giving manatees water or food conditions them to seek out humans, altering their natural behavior.
• Give them peace and space. Never chase a manatee, block their path, or separate a mother and calf. Remain still if you’re approached and avoid making sudden movements or noises.
• Stash your trash. Help prevent illness and injury by properly disposing of all fishing line and trash appropriately.
• Report harassment. If you witness manatee harassment in Florida, contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline by calling 1-888-404-3922, texting 847411 (Tip411) with the keyword “FWC” and information about the violation, or downloading the FWC Wildlife Alert app.

You can learn more about legal protections for manatees at savethemanatee.org/harassment.

We know many people care deeply for manatees. By helping others understand the line between admiration and interference, you’re protecting not only manatees but also the experience of seeing them in the wild. Let’s give manatees the peace and respect they deserve and keep Florida’s waters safe for everyone.