Manatee-saving measures

[aujax]

I read recently that there still many manatee fatalities every year due to prop injuries. Does anyone know if these could be prevented by requiring boat owners to install metal guards over their engine props? My idea (i'm sure it's been suggested before) is kind of a grill or cage over the prop, which may reduce the motor's efficiency a little, but would protect the manatees from the propellor. Now, there would surely still be some injury due to the cage or other parts of the boats striking the animal, but wouldn't this be a huge improvement?

 

[Bob3]

Sadly, there would be too big of an outcry from boaters & fishermen, who would not want to shell out the extra $$. An "annular ring" could increase performance in some areas, like steering.
A law to make it mandatory would never make it either, special interest groups would no doubt lobby the legislature.
I just go slow in manatee areas.

 

[Walter]

While manatees are chopped up by props, the vast majority of manatees killed by boats are the result of contact with the hull, not the prop.

Manatee populations are much higher than most people realize. While we need to continue our efforts to protect them, some measures now being taken are silly at best and harmful to the overall cause of manatee protection.

 

[archman]

Shrouded props would probably do more good in the legislature if they were lobbied as a HUMAN safety measure. Far more people than manatees are cut up by props. I'm sure the insurance lobby would be supportive. So would families with children. Waterskiers would bless you.

If shrouded props were phased in gradually like four-stroke outboards, there shouldn't be so much public outcry. Just make them mandatory on new engines, and leave it at that.

 

[H2Andy]

the figures on manatees for last year (2003), in Florida, are that 361 died and approximately 360 were born. Of the deaths, 70 were due to watercraft accidents.

there's an estimated 3,000 manatees in Florida (counts are spotty; the last one, in
January, 2003, was 3,113).

here's a story on 2003's statistics:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7604203.htm

 

[archman]

"Environmentalists say that better enforcement of manatee protection rules are necessary. The rules in 24 of Florida's 67 counties require boaters to either travel at idle speed, slow speed or travel no faster than 25 mph in channels.

But boaters contend that there are better ways to protect manatees, such as developing satellite tracking technology so boaters can avoid the animals. They also say that more should be spent on studying ways to protect manatees from red-tide outbreaks, which boosted the number of manatee deaths last year and in 1996, when a record 415 died."

Yeah, let's waste more money studying red tide. Find me a scientist that won't hold poor water quality accountable. Now find me a politician that will actually lobby to do something about it.

Satellite tracking... what is that some sort of techno-joke? Let's put GPS transmitters on all the manatees, then put a GPS unit on every boat cued in to every animal. That's certainly more reasonable than slowing down or putting a shroud on your prop... I'm kidding of course.

Losing 10% of your endemic population per year reflects very poorly on existing management strategy. Calling such a population "stable" is stretching the truth to a remarkable extent. The TRUE measure of stability does not take into account protective measures, but the normal population structure. Regulatory measures are supposed to IMPROVE, not maintain.

No net growth on a protected species is always BAD, despite what you may hear. That's the entire point of it being protected, so it can grow in numbers.

 

[aujax]

So, Archman - what are your suggestions? You gave some good criticism, but what about solutions? Anything besides the obvious improving water quality?

 

[archman]

So, Archman - what are your suggestions? You gave some good criticism, but what about solutions? Anything besides the obvious improving water quality?

1. Mandatory prop shrouds on all new-build outboards.
2. Greater enforcement presence in affected waterways.
3. Mandated middle/junior high education on state protected species/habitats (what/where they are, rules in place, how to protect them at the individual user level).

4. Ugh... water quality. There's no simple or quick solution to THAT. Most of the existing problems in america are non-point sources; difficult if not impossible to trace. I would probably go along with the NOAA Gulf Hypoxia report and try for 30% cuts in agricultural fertilizer use.

I'm glad manatees aren't native to Texas. They'd all probably be extinct by now! At least Florida has a vocal and reasonable conservation presence, at least in comparison to us. Ironically, our once-vaunted beach management strategies are under attack by property owners and real estate developers here, while Florida and Oregon are lobbying to COPY it!! AAAAA!!!!

Contemporary resource conservation always leaves me in a black mood. I'm going to go watch some cartoons now.

 

[_Kurt_]

Archman-
Spend some time boating in Florida waters and then make some recommendations on "saving " the manatees. Saving the manatees is big busine$$ here. This subject is covered in depth by Boat/U.S. and looks at the prop shroud idea. It was fairly well written and wasn't too supportive of the idea. I'll see if I can find a link.

 

[archman]

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0BQK/5_7/91085590/p1/article.jhtml

I wouldn't call this a slam-dunk against shrouded props (referred to here as "prop guards") by any means. Here are two short and divergent responses from the same magazine. They're mid-bottom of the page.
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0BQK/6_7/94509616/p1/article.jhtml

I DESPISE boasting (look what you've made me do!), but I've got weeks of logged "sea time" carrying passengers in Florida waters, so being rude to me in the context

Spend some time boating in Florida waters and then make some recommendations on "saving " the manatees

is just well, rude. I very rarely post opinions on this board unless I am well versed in the topic... go to the marine life or reef ecosystem forums if you don't believe me.

Now about prop guards...
Here's what they are:
http://www.allinflatables.com/shopping/custom/guards.html

Here's a much improved model that actually enhances boat performance. The coast guard and police are supposedly upgrading to them.
http://www.scottiescanvas.com/products/boating_products/prop_guard/howitworks.htm

Here's a quick blurb on how one group uses them in manatee-infested waters.
http://www.manateeworld.com/research.htm

Here's what the Save the Manatee Club has to say.
http://www.savethemanatee.org/faqprotection.htm

And lastly, here's a well-educated summary from an environmental management course (go down to week 4).
http://www.fit.edu/AcadRes/dmes/REU2001/ethics.htm

Few people will argue that shrouded props are the magic bullet to save manatees. I don't think anyones' doing that here. They will however almost certainly do some good to conservation efforts (20-40% of boat-related fatalities!), but by far the greater benefit is to human safety. A friend of mine was slashed up by a prop, which would have been entirely prevented with a guard in place. Incidents like this are not rare. They are in fact what brought about the Supreme Court case fifteen-odd years ago bringing the whole prop guard issue into the limelight... NOT manatees.