November is Manatee Awareness Month, a critical time for boaters to be on
the lookout for manatees as they travel to warmer water sites around the state.
Water temperatures
around the state are beginning to drop, and that means Florida’s manatee are moving
further south to warmer waters.
That also means there
is a greater chance that manatees will have run-ins with boats.
Manatees prefer water
above 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and can become ill in water colder than that.
Every year hundreds
of manatees are killed by boat propellers, but state officials say if boaters
took a few simple precautions, the number of manatee deaths could be cut
substantially.
They include abiding
by posted boat speed limits, staying in marked channels, and wearing polarized
sunglasses while boating to give you improved vision.
Also don’t boat over
grass flats or areas where manatees congregate.
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