manatees are marine mammals that graze on sea grasses .They grow to 15 feet in length and can weigh up to 1500 pounds .Once they were found throughout the world's oceans .Today , however , manatees exist in limited number and only in certain tropical and subtropical waters. In Florida, the manatees population number only about 1900.Efforts by state and federal agencies and private organization to protect manatees have occurred for many years.
Laws have been passed that make it illegal to hunt, kill, capture, or harass manatees . These laws include the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act 1978. In spite of such laws, human factors accounted for 44 percent of manatee deaths between 1976 and 1999.
Propeller cuts and collision with watercraft are the leading causes of manatee death due to human factors. Federal and state officials have suggested imposing reduced speed would give manatees time to avoid contact with the watercraft. At the time of this report, progress has been made in developing water speed and access regulation in eleven of thirteen Florida counties with manatee populations. Efforts are being made to extend these rules into the remaining two counties. Since this work is nearing completion, emphasis is now being placed on the development of additional manatee protection plans .These plans include expansion beyond the thirteen county area ,maintenance of warning signs and buoys, boater education, enforcement procedures, compliance evaluation, and assessment of the entire protection crusade.