Harrassment of Manatees

[BrianPlankis]

Hey all,

A little off topic from RSF, but Florida manatees used to be one of the primary grazers of seagrass habitats and therefore had a connection to coral reefs.

Now an endangered species (around 1,000-1,500 remaining), you would think they would have careful restrictions. Not exactly:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/article1007833.ece

A short video showing harassment:

http://www.tampabay.com/video/?bctid=25492554001&q=manatee&pg=0

The RSF has a "manatee activity" that looks at this issue deeply. This issue has been ongoing since the 1980s. It certainly shows the difficulty of allowing economic interests to override ecological protections.

Brian

[charlesr1958]

Not off topic at all, as you noted, such animals are very important to the vitality of seagrass beds. Studies have shown that such grazing encourages more growth and denser growth of the seagrasses, and since sea grasses are primary producers, that has an effect up and down the reef chain/loop.

Chuck