by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Since 2005, the number of manatees killed in the waters of Duval County due to large vessels has been on an upward swing. Often, the docile mammals are literally cut in half by the props of oceangoing vessels entering and leaving various terminals in the area.
Oct. 30, a group that includes everyone with a stake in manatees and protecting them will meet to discuss ways they can be better protected from such violent and sudden deaths. Dr. Gerard Pinto of Jacksonville University said the meeting is at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife North Florida office on Baymeadows Way. Those on the invitation list include: the City, the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, the Jacksonville Port Authority, the Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange, the Coast Guard, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Marine Division and local harbor pilots.
“We need to address the issue,” said Pinto. “It would be nice if the State would provide specific answers as to how to alleviate the problem as opposed to just telling the county it’s our fault.
“The large vessel deaths — those in which the manatee is cut in half — have been trending up since 2005.”
According to Pinto, over 2,000 large vessels use local waterways a year. Since January, there have been 13 manatee deaths in Duval County. Of those, eight were caused by watercraft while the other five died of other causes.
Pinto, who conducts monthly manatee flights to count the number of them in local waters, doesn’t blame the pilots of the large vessels. He said vessels such as cargo and container ships are impossible to stop even if the pilot spots a manatee and they aren’t maneuverable enough for the pilot to steer the vessel around a manatee or a group of manatees.
“What we are targeting is when they leave or come into port, for the pilots to look and make sure there are no manatees in the area,” he said. “They are potentially anywhere and they could traverse the channel. A mating herd is totally oblivious. They are going to go where the female goes.”
At last week’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Pinto distributed an information sheet developed by the Fish & Wildlife Commission. The two-sided sheet includes a map of manatee speed zones, the language of the laws that protect manatees (by the way, you can be fined up to $100,000 and/or get a year in prison for purposely killing a manatee), and an eight-step guide for all boaters to use before leaving a dock and prior to docking.
About 1,000 of these placards will be produced, laminated and distributed to area marinas, harbors and docks.
356-2466