by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Over the past 12 months, six manatees have been killed by area boaters, a figure that exceeds an “acceptable level of mortality” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In fact, since 1999, this is the fourth time the county has exceeded the acceptable level of five fatalities.
In a letter to Jacksonville Waterways Commission Chair and City Council member Bill Bishop, R. Kipp Frohlich — leader of the Imperiled Species Management Section of the FWC — said with six manatee deaths since last July, the FWC “cannot recommend approval of new or expansion of existing boat facilities (such as marinas, commercial docks, boat ramps or dry storage) until the triggered mortality threshold has been addressed cooperatively by local, state and federal government entities.”
At Thursday’s Waterways meeting, Dr. Quinton White — dean of the Marine Science Center at Jacksonville University — said he and others will take up the matter with the FWC. White said two of the deaths have been attributed to large vessels, which is one of the criteria he will use to help explain the deaths to the FWC.
While the FWC won’t approve any waterways-related projects as a result of the deaths, White said he isn’t sure if there are any significant projects going on right now. He also said the county has been successful all three times it has taken up excess manatee deaths with the FWC.
One of the points White will argue is there’s no way to truly determine where the manatees were killed. For example, four of the six carcasses were found in the Talleyrand area of the river. That area, according to White, has strong currents and due to hydrology many things tend to congregate in the area. The deaths White intends to argue against the most were found near the Duval/Clay county line and in Julington Creek. White says there’s no way to determine if the deaths actually occurred in Duval County.
“It’s not a black and white issue,” he said. “There’s a high probability the animals were not hit in the headways of Julington Creek. It’s likely they were struck somewhere else and swam in.”
Waterways Chair and Council member Bill Bishop said he will participate in the appeal process.
“I will set up a teleconference with Mr. Frohlich so we can meet and get this resolved,” said Bishop.
In others news:
• Waterways and Council member Jack Webb said he intends to introduce legislation opposing the dumping of wastewater into the St. Johns River in Palatka by Georgia-Pacific. That legislation will support the stance Mayor John Peyton took Aug. 8 at the second anniversary of the signing of the River Accord. Georgia-Pacific wastewater has all but killed Rice Creek over the past few decades.
“What concerns me is the cumulative affect this will have on top of the proposed extraction of water from the river (by Central Florida),” said Webb. “From a selfish perspective, if this dead zone expands and heads down river into my district, which is Mandarin, there will be hell to pay if there are no shrimp in the river in two years.”
State Sen. Jim King assured Webb and the Commission the Duval Delegation would do everything possible to prevent the discharge.
“I think the Duval Delegation will take the lock down position in support of the mayor,” said King. “We are prepared to do battle, but I don’t know if we can win.”
• New Commission member Rick Hartley sat in on his first meeting.
• Assistant General Counsel Jim McCain announced that Christina Nelson of the Office of General Counsel will be taking over as counsel to the Waterways Commission.
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