{"id":1204,"date":"2015-09-10T17:49:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T17:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/?post_type=article&p=1204"},"modified":"2020-02-13T14:21:26","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T14:21:26","slug":"how-to-protect-floridas-manatees-and-seagrasses","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/how-to-protect-floridas-manatees-and-seagrasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Florida’s Manatees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Florida's<\/a><\/h2>\n

Florida\u2019s Manatees<\/h2>\n

Florida\u2019s manatees are large aquatic mammals, which are recognizable from their thick, gray wrinkled skin. They can be found in fresh, brackish and salt water throughout Florida, including navigable canals. They\u2019ve even been know to get through lock systems to move further up river and into canal systems.<\/p>\n

Manatees can be slow moving creatures, spending most of their time eating and sleeping. They can live for over 60 years, but sadly only about half of wild manatees will survive into their twenties.<\/p>\n

Manatees reproduce at a slow rate. Since a calf is dependent on its more for at least 2 years, manatees can only give birth to a new calf every 3 years.<\/p>\n

Their slow rate of reproduction, and high death rates make long-term recovery of the manatee population very difficult.<\/p>\n

Collisions with Watercraft<\/h2>\n

Manatees are mammals, which means they must re-surface to breathe every 2-4 minutes. This means that manatees are often found very close to the surface of the water, increasing their risk of being hit by watercraft. In fact, the largest cause of human-related manatee mortality is watercraft collision. Most manatees have scars on their backs or tails from collisions with watercraft.<\/p>\n

How Boaters Can Help Protect Florida’s Manatees<\/h2>\n

Boat operators in Florida can help to protect Florida’s Manatees in the following ways:<\/strong><\/p>\n