News

Manatee Sightings Update: June 2023

June 1, 2023 | ,
Wayne Hartley, Manatee Specialist, and Cora Berchem, Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate, take "roll call" on a cold winter morning at Blue Spring State Park. Photo courtesy David Schrichte.
Wayne Hartley, Manatee Specialist, and Cora Berchem, Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate, take "roll call" on a cold winter morning at Blue Spring State Park. Photo courtesy David Schrichte.

By Cora Berchem, Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate
All activities conducted under permits DEP #02042213 and USFWS #MA791721-6.

Sightings Update: Blue Spring Adoptees

Adoptee Annie and her little calf have been visiting the spring a few times since manatee season officially ended on March 24. The pair is usually accompanied by another calf and a juvenile.
Adoptee Brutus made a brief, unexpected visit to Blue Spring on April 26, 2023.
A large mating herd was seen on May 6, including adoptees Brutus and Howie.
Howie made a brief surprise visit on May 6 and 7.
Nick made a brief, unexpected summer visit on May 15.

Sighting Update: Tampa Bay

Our partners from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) informed us that they saw Tampa Bay adoptee “Flicker” during their photo-ID work at the warm-water outflow of the Bartow power plant on January 30 and February 20.

Tampa Bay adoptee “Vector” was also seen by our partners from FWC on February 8 in Boca Ciega Bay, which is near St. Petersburg, just a little southwest of his winter home at TECO Apollo Beach. The only photo obtained was of Vector’s tail, but his scars gave him away shortly before he submerged

Updates on released manatees

The 12 manatees released at Blue Spring in February have spread out to explore their new surroundings. Scampi, Artemis, and Finch have occasionally stopped by Blue Spring.

Artemis

In this video, Artemis (bottom) can be seen following some wild manatees, which everyone had been hoping for. She had temporarily lost her satellite tracker, but researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) were able to re-attach it.

Andy

While they are few and far in between, we do get some sightings of our “winter regulars” from Blue Spring during the summer. On April 25, manatee “Andy” (right) made a brief visit to Blue Spring alongside recently released manatee “Artemis”.

More Recent News

Volunteers Tonya Bernhard (left) and Sarah Chair (right) at Save the Manatee Club’s booth at NatureFest. Photo courtesy SMC.

Join Our Volunteer Mana-Team for Exciting Opportunities

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As we plan for the full event season beginning in January, we wanted to make sure you know the many ways you can volunteer with us.

Infographic courtesy Endangered Species Coalition.

The Endangered Species Act Turns 50!

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The Endangered Species Act legislation was signed into law in 1973 and has played a key role in the protection of endangered and threatened species.

FWC and partners rescue several manatees out of Whiskey Creek in Ft Myers, Photo courtesy FWC.

How do manatees fare during a hurricane?

October 1, 2023

In the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, manatee rescue teams have been on the lookout for strandings. Find out more about threats to manatees during these storms.