Sgt. Doug Sills (right) talks to Rick Wohlfarth (in blue shirt) and John Gwynn of Delray Beach to raise awareness of manatees. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Cheryl Blackerby
Right on cue, mother and baby manatees appeared on the surface of the Intracoastal Waterway as Sgt. Doug Sills of the Lantana Police Marine Unit advised boaters Rick Wohlfarth and John Gwynn of Delray Beach to watch out for the marine mammals.
Sills’ Saturday afternoon patrol Dec. 8 was part of Operation Mermaid, a countywide campaign to remind boaters to slow down during manatee season, which is mid-November through March 31.
Manatee patrols are conducted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Marine Units along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and law-enforcement agencies including Lantana, Boynton Beach, Tequesta, Jupiter, West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.
The name Operation Mermaid was inspired by early mariners’ sightings of “mermaids,” which were in fact manatees. It’s easy to understand the confusion if a nearsighted sailor was observing from a distance — manatees will often surface, raise their heads out of the water and turn to look at you, then disappear with a slap of their big tails.
But explorer Christopher Columbus must have gotten a fairly close-up view when he sailed near the Dominican Republic on Jan. 9, 1493. He wrote in his log that he saw three mermaids, and described them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.”
Coastal community residents can get their own close-up sightings as hundreds of endangered Florida manatees seek warm water in South Florida waterways.
Sills sometimes gives manatees a police escort on the Intracoastal Waterway to keep them safe.
“Last year, I had a herd — there must have been 30 of them. I traveled with them with the lights on. They’re so slow and helpless.”
Sills tells boaters to look for the line of ringed ripples manatees leave on the surface; to be alert for their heads when they come up for air; and to note their direction and try to stay away.
“When you see one, there are usually others,” he said.
Recreational watercraft have caused about one-quarter of all manatee deaths since 1974 (when record-keeping began), and are their No. 1 threat, according to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission research. Many manatees have the familiar long white scars on their backs from propeller injuries.
They feed on seagrass beds in shallow water, where there is little time or room to avoid oncoming boats. Deaths are usually from propeller wounds, the impact with boat hulls, or crushing.
In the first 11 months of 2012, manatee deaths from watercraft, including boats and Jet Skis, totaled 78; two were killed in Palm Beach County. This is a far greater number than the total of manatees killed in 1980 statewide — 16, and none in Palm Beach County — when there were far fewer people and boats.
A statewide survey in winter 2010 showed there were 5,076 manatees, but this is not a true estimate of the population, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Research is being conducted to get a more accurate number.
Many boaters are not aware of manatees, said Sills. He stopped a boater from Jupiter who didn’t even know that manatees ever swam in the Intracoastal Waterway. “You see manatees out here?” the boater asked in amazement.
Other boaters were more informed. “We saw some manatees today,” said Jared Rosen, who was boating with his two young children, who both nodded in excitement. “It’s crazy how people just fly down the waterway without thinking about them.”
Keep Manatees Safe
Operation Mermaid patrols hand out laminated instructions for boaters about manatees, and what to do if they see one injured or dead. Here are some of the tips:
• Slow down and observe all manatee speed zones and caution areas. The fine is $90 if you don’t. Manatee zones are generally the area of water within 300 feet from shore, where manatees feed on seagrasses.
• While swimming or diving, do not approach or chase a manatee.
• Don’t pollute. Pick up trash such as fishing line and plastic bags.
• Respect manatee signs. ‘Idle Speed’ is the lowest speed needed to maintain steerage and forward motion (about 2-3 mph). “Slow Speed” is little or no wake; the vessel must be completely settled in the water. “Resume Normal” means resume safe speed according to water and traffic conditions.
• If you see a sick, injured, dead or tagged manatee, call (888) 404-FWCC (888-404-3922).
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