Becky's first meeting with the Crystal River Manatees took place in January, 2000, through encounter tours with Bird's Underwater and Captain Joe Detrick.  That experience had a profound effect and instilled the desire to learn more about the manatees and their tentative hold on survival.

Recently Becky fulfilled a life long dream which had it's beginnings many years ago while as a young child she sat by the sea and imagined all the wondrous things living beneath the surface.  After raising a son and seeing that his independence was established, she enrolled in an open water scuba course.  From there she proceeded in her scuba education with Advanced OW, Nitrox, and Underwater Macro Photography while also attaining certifications as a Medic First Aid provider and Rescue Diver.

This series of four articles chronicles her experiences with manatees and her subsequent enlistment in the battle to save these gentle creatures from extinction.

We launched the boat, geared up for snorkeling, and by 8 a.m., the captain was yelling, "Over there, there's one!" He positioned the boat and pointed to a spot where I should enter the water so off the bow I cautiously lowered myself. The captain directed me as I swam although I could see nothing. Suddenly, I felt a presence in the water... something very close, yet unseen... closer and closer... quietly coming closer. And then, there she was, beside me, in front of me, all around me... ever so silently.

My first thought was how large she seemed. "How big is she?" I asked Joe, our captain. "About 1200 pounds." How could a creature weighing 1200 pounds appear so suddenly, silently beside me? And why, dwarfed as I was in her presence, was I not the least bit apprehensive? As I reached out with one hand to touch her, to confirm she wasn't a mirage, she rolled over and guided my hand with her flipper to a spot on her chest where she wanted to be scratched. I was hooked; permanently enraptured by this creature.

For the next 6 hours I was in the water, losing all sense of time and place. She stayed with me for almost 3 hours, playing with me, guiding my hands with her flippers, rolling over, swimming beneath me, circling me, gliding between my fins. Most miraculous of all, as she pressed my arm to her chest with her powerful, nailed flippers holding me just tight enough, but not so tight as to hurt me; she towed me through the water. Her skin was remarkably like that of an elephant with sparse, wiry guard hairs. Around her face and head the skin was folded and slightly wrinkled. The skin on her back and underside was smooth with patches of algae growing here and there. Her nailed flippers reminded me so much of an elephant's foot. The mammary glands were all but invisible, hiding within the rear folds of her two flippers. Only later was I to discovered how unusual her physical appearance was, and how fortunate she had been in her encounters with man.

Occasionally, she would leave for a few minutes only to return shortly for another round of play. "Where is she going, Joe?" He responded that she probably had a calf close by who was calling to her for nourishment; and once she was comfortable with me, she would bring the calf. Eventually, she did bring the calf to me. What an honor and compliment when she presented her precious calf.

As boat traffic picked up later in the morning, she left to take her calf to a safer haven. I reluctantly climbed back into the boat as Joe set a course for Three Sisters Springs and one of the manatee sanctuaries that is set aside as a respite area for the Crystal River Manatees. By law no one is permitted inside the area set off by marker buoys but with the clarity of the water, it was easy to see into the protected sanctuary; and there we found a dozen or more manatees, including several mothers with calves.

Captain Joe advised that we move as slowly and quietly as possible and in doing so, the curious manatees would soon leave the protected area and initiate contact with us. After a few minutes several of them swam to us asking to be rubbed and scratched. It was then I saw just how unusual and fortunate my first manatee had been. Nearly all of the adult manatees in this group bore the deep scars and mutilations so commonly found in the Florida Manatee population. Some scars were fresh and still healing but many others had long since repaired themselves leaving permanent disfigurement and in some cases, disability.

How could such a gentle, quiet, unassuming creature suffer such trauma? What was happening to them? Will we see the last of the Florida Manatee during our lifetime, another species lost to eternity? And, what can be done to save this magical angel of the sea?

Manatees, of the order Sirenia, have existed for approximately 45 - 50,000,000 years. Fossils have been found in southern France, Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the South Pacific, Australia, the Caribbean, South America, and many other locations throughout the world. There are two family classifications within Sirenia; the Family Trichechidae consisting of our modern West Indian, Amazonian, and West African Manatees; and the Family Dugongidae, which included the Dugong and the Steller's Sea Cow. Tragically, the Steller's Sea Cow, which was first scientifically documented in 1741, had been hunted to extinction by 1768. Only the Dugong remains, and it, like the other manatee species, is in extreme peril. 

Manatees are marine mammals. They give birth to fully developed calves weighing approximately 55-65 pounds and measuring 3.5-4.5 feet in length. While the Florida manatees do form loose groupings during the winter months when they seek the protection of warm water springs and discharge pools at power plants, they are basically solitary animals when roaming the coastal regions. The only apparent bondings are between the calves and mothers who remain together for up to two years.

As I swam with these ancient and magnificent creatures near Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida, I marveled at their grace and gentleness. It was amazing to see them walk across the sandy bottom using only their nailed front flippers which seemed small in comparison to their massive bodies. Their great paddle-shaped tails slowly pushed them through the water when they swam. Their buoyancy control was a scuba diver's dream as, with seemingly no effort, they slowly rose to the surface for a breath of air, and then descended ever more slowly in complete control.

And, therein lies one of the main reasons for their drastic decline. Air, the very substance that allows them to live may also mean their demise. Manatees are slow moving, air-breathing mammals that cannot tolerate cold temperatures since their ability to conserve heat is much less than that of land-based mammals. As winter reaches the manatees' summer range, chilling the air and water, they move south to shelter in warmer waters.

To reach those sites they travel up canals and through channels and rivers which are also used by recreational and commercial watercraft. Active manatees remain submerged from 45 seconds to 6 minutes before they return to the surface to breathe. As water temperatures cool they travel and rest closer to the water's surface where it is warmed by the sun. Surfacing for air or traveling in shallows puts them at great risk of collision with watercraft. Though they hear vessels coming, they cannot move out of harm's way in time since they are slow swimmers and are therefore vulnerable to fast moving boats.

Aerial surveys conducted in 1999 indicated a population of approximately 2,400 manatees in all of Florida. Surveys taken in early 2,000 counted only 2,222. Manatees are slow to reproduce with males taking 9 years to reach maturity and females maturing around 5 years. Single calves are born only once every 2-5 years. It is believed that, without human interference, manatees could maintain a viable population in spite of their slow reproductive rates and naturally occurring dangers. However, manatees and dugongs around the world face an ever-increasing threat from boats, pollution, loss of habitat, and development along traditional manatee waterways, indigenous hunters, and entanglement in nets and other manmade structures.

Clearly the largest, most immediate threat comes from watercraft collisions. Mortality statistics for 1999 show a total of 268 manatee deaths in Florida. Records kept since 1974 unquestionably show watercraft-related deaths run consistently between 23-31%, with boats accounting for 70% of all human-related manatee deaths. 1998 saw 66 boating-related manatee deaths. 1999 statistics documented 82 manatees killed by boats. The first 7 months of 2000 recorded approximately 60 boating-related manatee deaths with the total statewide death toll approaching 200, which is an alarming increase over the same period in 1999. The Florida manatee cannot sustain this assault. There will be no manatees in the next millenium. There will be no manatees in the next century if rapid and drastic measures are not taken.

Several organizations and agencies are involved in bringing the manatee back from the brink of extinction while others lobby for relaxed boating and waterfront property development laws to satisfy insatiable consumer demands. The challenges are great, but there are dedicated, caring people in the battle to save Florida's manatees.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) manages the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWR) which includes critical manatee habitats within the Crystal River Refuge and the Chassahowitzka Refuge. The USFWS monitors the health of vegetation upon which manatees feed, conducts aerial surveys to determine manatee population, establishes seasonal manatee sanctuaries, and manages public access to the refuges.

Counties with manatee populations are mandated to develop county-specific manatee protection plans. Water quality is monitored by the Department of Environment. The Florida Marine Research Institute collects medical data and determines causes of death as well as studying the effects of all human activities as they relate to manatees and other marine mammals. The Sirenia Project of the United States Geological Survey conducts research, maintains a photo identification catalog, and provides satellite imaging. Law enforcement comes from the USFWS, the Florida Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and county sheriffs' departments. Volunteer organizations such as Friends of the Chassahowitzka and Save The Manatee provide much-needed support in the form of educational programs as well as manatee monitoring and rescue assistance. With so many involved, one would think that the possible extinction of the Florida Manatees was little cause for concern. However, these dedicated people and their mission to save the manatees are almost overwhelmed by the onslaught of threats.

While manatees die for a variety of reasons including outbreaks of red tide, entanglement in fishing lines and traps, crushing or drowning in locks and dams, unusual cold spells; clearly the greatest threat is collision with watercraft. From November 15 through March 31 sanctuaries and boating speed zones are designated within the Crystal River NWR. During the period of April 1 through August 31 the Chassahowitzka NWR sets boating speed regulations upon its rivers. Other manatee traveled waterways throughout the state are also posted as idle and slow speed zones during certain times of the year.

The boating industry's lobbyists, ironically known as the Manatee Task Force, suggest the Florida Manatee be removed from the endangered species list. Their argument is that population counts show an increase; however, those involved in protecting the manatee are adamant that the small increases are a result of improved counting methods, and they re-emphasize the increasing number of boating-related manatee deaths compared to their slow reproductive rates.

Enforcing manatee protection laws is daunting. Budget constraints, lack of manpower, the vastness of the areas to be covered, the overwhelming numbers of boaters and other refuge users make catching violators often a matter of happenstance. Surveys of boaters in some manate inhabited waterways demonstrated a mere 40-60% compliance with speed limits. There is one full-time USFWS law enforcement officer to patrol both the Chassahowitzka and Crystal River Refuges totaling 31,046 acres and covering over 100 miles of coastline.

Approximately 40 volunteers assist in the Crystal River Refuge. On their own time, using their own watercraft, they act as observers on the waterways. Their presence deters some violators, however, they have no enforcement powers and little means to call for help when they witness violations.

My final morning in Crystal River, thinking I would swim some distance away and observe others' reactions to a group of manatees, I once again felt a presence in the water. She swam within 3 feet and hovered next to me for over 2 hours. She was a very large female, older, bearing the scars, healing wounds, and flayed tail from encounters with boats over her many years. She let me touch her only briefly. She had milk, but she did not leave to feed a hidden calf. She seemed distant and I was left to wonder; was her calf one of the dead calves found the previous day?

They cannot speak for themselves, these wonderful yet endangered beings. They cannot influence their own destiny. We must share the waterways and provide safe passage; keep our life-sustaining waters unpolluted; and control our greed.

What legacy will we leave; a legacy of superficial possessions, faster boats, larger waterfront homes beside a sea with no life? Or will we leave a world of magical creatures whose presence enhances and mystifies our own being? We must speak for the manatees. There are so few and they have no voice.

Copyright.  Becky A. Dayhuff 2000

My journey with the manatees of Crystal River began almost a year ago. I intended to swim with them and write a short article on how "cool" the experience was. My first manatee was ever so "cool" and ever so fortunate that she was not yet scarred or mutilated by man, a fact I only discovered upon further manatee encounters. The deep propeller slashes and the skeg gashes; the mutilated and amputated flippers; the flayed tails...all ripped at my heart. One article would not be enough, a book of 1,000 pages will not be enough. 

I do not want to live in a world without manatees for it will be a sad and lonely place. Condos and emerald green golf courses and luxury speed boats can never replace the beauty of nature at it's best, the gentle, unassuming Florida manatee. This journey cannot end.

Ideally, the manatees, the wolves, the salmon and all those now lost to eternity would have remained wild beings roaming freely along their ancient paths; however, those paths no longer exist due to man's interference. We continue to build sea walls to allow development of waterfront properties. The sea walls damage or destroy grass beds upon which the manatees feed. We build golf courses at the waters edge and do not care that nitrate runoff from fertilizers causes algal growth which chokes out much needed vegetation in the manatees' habitats. Statistics show an influx of new residents to the State of Florida, sometimes as many as 900 per day with many moving to within 10 miles of the shores. The demand for a supportive infrastructure cannot keep pace so we substitute septic tanks for sewage facilities. Leeching from the tanks finds its way into the manatees' waters. Power plants providing warm water discharge wherein the manatees seek shelter are now deregulated and may shut down as maintenance becomes less cost effective than purchasing power from a grid. If the warm water discharges are abruptly turned off where then will the manatees find protection from the cold? Several have already lost their lives when a power plant failed and there was no where else to go.

There are many hundreds of thousands of boats registered in Florida with an estimated additional 300,000 brought in during the winter months. With what may well be over 1,000,000 boats using Florida's waterways boaters should be beyond reproach in complying with current laws yet these laws are ignored by 40-60% of operators because law enforcement is underfunded and understaffed and those officers who are in place cannot be everywhere at once.

Preventing the extinction of the Florida manatee has reached far beyond the critical point and drastic action must be taken immediately in light of the rapidly increasing death rate. The Florida Marine Research Institute, National Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Wildlife Commission, and the Department of Environmental Protection have joined together in a working group to share information and facilitate implementation of laws and protection plans. Citizens' groups continue in their efforts to educate the public and provide volunteers where ever needed. Beleaguered law enforcement officers patrol vast areas often alone and in poor weather conditions.

Manatee tour operators also provide a critical element in the preservation of our vanishing manatees by providing public interaction which often instills a desire and passion to learn more and take action. While there are some involved with manatees who would see public interaction eliminated one must take a universal view of all the elements involved in preserving a species. When conducted properly by following the prescribed guidelines which require each participant to attend an encounter education program prior to boarding a tour boat, by distributing brochures to each participant which outline proper encounter behavior, and by having a trained boat captain supervising every encounter these tours keep the manatees in the public eye. As learned in other areas of the world, when a species becomes more valuable to save than to destroy, public attention is an invaluable asset. Without encounter tours manatees would become invisible to the general public and invisibility will bring our manatees even closer to the brink of extinction.

We may not always agree on the best way to preserve the manatees but our hearts are in the right place and through cooperation and continued communication we must be successful in this endeavor. Loosing this battle will not only be the loss of one more species.....it will be a giant leap in the loss of our humanity.

CREDITS:I will forever be indebted to Captain Charlie Slider for his support, hospitality, and willingness to teach me about the manatees for which he cares so much; to Bill and Diane Oestreich of Bird's Underwater for finding space on their boats for me and for their efforts in educating the public as to the plight of the manatees; to Captain Joe Detrick for finding my first manatee and patiently waiting with his boat while I spent hours in the water; to Eileen Nunez of the National Fish and Wildlife Service for statistical data and a heartfelt talk on the banks of Kings Bay; to Dr. Mark Lowe for his advice and information and for his dedication to preserving the remaining manatees; to Bob Verlato and other officers who are on the water day in and day out performing the thankless job of enforcing laws; and to the many others who are working diligently to save a vanishing species: the Florida Marine Research Institute, Friends of Chassahowitzka, Sirenia Project, and those as yet unknown to this author.

Becky A. Dayhuff 2001