| 11/20/2006
MAKE WAY FOR TRAVELING MANATEES HEADING FOR WARMER WATER
Contact: Bonnie Abellera (850) 922-4330
Florida manatees are on the move seeking warm-water sites to
spend the winter. That means boaters must be cautious about looking out for
our official marine mammal and for changing speed zones on waterways.
Manatees generally start traveling to warm water when the
air temperature drops below 50 degrees or when the water temperature dips to
68 degrees.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
changes seasonal speed zone signs in mid-November on many waterways to
accommodate manatee migration.
Boaters should scan the water near or in front of the boat
looking for swirls resembling a large footprint, a repetitive line of
half-moon swirls, a mud trail, a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the waters
surface.
Kipp Frohlich, leader of FWCs Imperiled Species Management
Section, said boaters can help manatees have a safe migration:
 |
Stay in marked channels. |
|
Wear polarized sunglasses to improve vision. |
|
Obey posted boat speed zones. |
|
Use poles, paddles or trolling motors when in close
proximity to manatees. |
|
Have someone help scan the water when under way. |
If you think you see a manatee, give it plenty of room
because it may not be alone. It may have a calf or be traveling with other
manatees, Frohlich said.
For more information about manatees, visit
MyFWC.com/manatee/.
________________________________________
WINTER (MANATEE-RELATED) BOAT SPEED ZONE CHANGES BY
COUNTY
Brevard County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
No entry and motorboats prohibited zones - North
Indian River area around discharge canals of the Reliant Corp. Power Plant
and Florida Power and Light Frontenac Power Plant. |
|
Idle speed zone - West of Intracoastal Waterway in
general vicinity of power plants. |
________________________________________
Broward County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
Idle speed Port Everglades Power Plant area,
including part of the discharge canal. Portions of the South New River
Canal and Dania Cut-off Canal near the Lauderdale Power Plant. |
|
Slow speed Intracoastal Waterway from the Palm
Beach County line through Hillsboro Inlet south to Burnham Point. (Note:
some portions are weekend-only slow-speed). |
________________________________________
Citrus County:
Sept. 1 Feb. 28
|
25 mph Lower (western) portions of the
Withlacoochee River and Bennetts Creek. |
Sept. 1 March 31
|
25 mph Lower (western) portions of the
Chassahowitzka River. |
Sept. 1 April 30
|
Idle speed or slow speed portions of Kings Bay.
|
Oct. 1 April 30
|
Slow speed Portions of the Homosassa River
between the Salt River and Trade Winds Marina and southern portion of
Halls River. |
Nov. 15 April 30
|
Slow speed All waters in the vicinity of the
Florida Power Corp. effluent canal. |
Nov. 15 March 31
|
No entry Within the Blue Waters area of the upper
Homosassa River near Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. |
________________________________________
Dade County:
Nov. 15 April 30
|
No entry Portions of the Biscayne Canal, Little
River and Coral Gables Canal. |
|
Slow speed - Within portions of Meloy (or East)
Channel and portions of the Intracoastal Waterway in Dumfoundling Bay and
Biscayne Bay between Broad Causeway and Venetian Causeway. |
________________________________________
Hillsborough County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
No entry Portions of the discharge canal of the
TECO Power Plant in Apollo Beach. |
|
Idle speed General vicinity of the TECO Power
Plant in Apollo Beach. |
________________________________________
Indian River County:
Nov. 1 April 30
|
Slow speed - Within Sand and Shell islands area,
Channel Marker 66 south to Channel Marker 75; Indian River area from
Hobert Lodge Marina to North Canal, and from Channel Marker 156 south to
St. Lucie County line west of the Intracoastal Waterway. |
Nov. 15 March 31
|
No entry - Portion of canal system adjacent to Vero
Beach Power Plant. |
________________________________________
Lee County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
No entry Discharge and intake canals of the
Florida Power and Light Tice Power Plant. |
|
Idle speed and slow speed Portions of the
Intracoastal Waterway channel on the Caloosahatchee River in the vicinity
of the Tice Power Plant. |
|
25 mph Portions of Estero Bay, Hurricane Bay,
Hell Pecknay Bay and Hendry Creek. |
|
Seasonally unregulated Cayo Costa, North Captiva,
Captiva and St. James City areas. |
________________________________________
Levy County:
Beginning Dec. 3, 2006
|
Year round no-entry zone Manatee Springs State
Park (manatee protection). |
________________________________________
Palm Beach County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
Motorboats prohibited - Within general vicinity of
Florida Power and Light Riviera Beach Power Plant discharge canals. |
|
Slow speed Outside the main channel in the
Loxahatchee River, and in the north and southwest forks of the Loxahatchee
River. |
|
Idle speed and slow speed zones Look for
shore-to-shore speed zone changes north and south of Peanut Island near
the Florida Power and Light Riviera Beach Power Plant. |
Oct. 1 May 31
|
25 mph Portions of the Intracoastal Waterway
channel between State Road 706 and Lake Worth, and south of Lake Worth to
Broward County. |
________________________________________
Sarasota County:
Nov. 15 March 15
|
No entry Portion of Salt Creek and Warm Mineral
Springs north of U.S. 41. |
________________________________________
St. Lucie County:
Nov. 15 March 31
|
Motorboats prohibited Within Moores Creek. |
Nov. 15 April 15
|
Slow speed - Within Garfield Cut/Fish House Cove
area. |
Nov. 15 April 30
|
Slow speed - Within Intracoastal Waterway channel
between North Beach Causeway south to Channel Marker 189 and within the
Shark Cut Channel in the Ft. Pierce Inlet area. |
_______________________________________
Volusia County:
Sept. 1 March 31
|
25 mph Portions of the Tomoka River and Spruce
Creek. |
Oct. 15 April 15
|
Motorboats prohibited Blue Spring Run. |
|
Slow speed St. Johns River, south of Lake
Beresford to Channel Marker 67. |
Complete copies of individual county waterway rules are
available at:
http://www.flrules.org/ or
MyFWC.com/manatee/rules/ or by contacting FWC at (850) 922-4330.
Zone Definitions:
|
Idle speed (No wake) Lowest speed needed to
maintain steering and make headway (speed used when docking a boat). |
|
Slow speed (No excessive wake) Fully off plane
and completely settled in the water, not plowing. This enables boats to
move through an area with little or no impact to natural resources,
shoreline erosion or other boaters. |
|
Motorboats prohibited zone Entry is prohibited
for any vessel being propelled or powered by machinery. |
|
No entry No vessels or other human-related
activities allowed. |
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