The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will submit a proposed rule tomorrow to the Federal Register that would establish 16 Federal protection areas for the West Indian manatee, an endangered marine mammal that inhabits the coastal and inland waterways of the southeastern United States, in eight Florida counties. These areas would complement the protection provided for the manatee at national wildlife refuges.
Under the proposal, four areas located in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Citrus counties would be designated as seasonal manatee sanctuaries. In these areas, all waterborne activities would be prohibited from October 1 through March 31. Another 12 areas in Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee and Brevard counties would be designated manatee refuges. Waterborne activities such as swimming, diving, and boating could be permitted in these areas, but might be restricted or prohibited if necessary to protect manatees. (See attached list for details on each site.)
Due to recent watercraft-related mortalities in Brevard County, the Service intends to issue its final decision for two sites in the county, Barge Canal and Sykes Creek, as quickly as possible once all public comments have been considered, but no later than December 31, 2001. The Service intends to defer its final rule on the remaining 14 sites until December 1, 2002.
Recognizing the important role of its State and local partners, the Service will continue its close coordination with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regarding their proposed manatee protection actions. If the state adopts manatee protection areas identical or comparable to the ones in this proposal, the Service will withdraw the Federal designations. If by December 1, 2002, the State is unable to take action and the Service determines that designation is warranted, it will proceed to issue its final decision for the 14 deferred sites.
"Ideally, we would like the State of Florida to take the lead in establishing these areas and we will continue to work closely with the State on the designations," said Sam Hamilton, the Services regional director for the Southeast Region. "Nevertheless, collisions with boats and other human-caused mortality continue to be the biggest threat to the long-term conservation of the manatee, and we must take action now to protect the species. The States recent commitment to increase law enforcement is an important step in the overall strategy to protect manatees."
"We are open to considering state and local agency actions in lieu of federally-designated protection areas," Hamilton said. "As we finalize our rule, we will continue to work with state and local agencies to ensure that our action does not duplicate their efforts." The Services proposal comes after an extensive period of public comment. Last fall, with input from numerous agencies, organizations, researchers and others, the Service compiled a list of 145 potential sites for protection areas. After receiving public comment, the Service narrowed its proposed list to 16 sites.
"Although there are numerous sites that could potentially qualify under our regulations, we targeted our proposal to include those locations that are most crucial to manatee recovery, and for which we have the staff and funds to implement and enforce manatee protection areas," Hamilton said.
Recreational and commercial use of waterways throughout the southeastern United States has increased dramatically due to residential growth and tourism. This is particularly true in Florida, leading to increased conflicts between watercraft and manatees. Watercraft account for about 80 percent of all human-caused manatee deaths, and approximately 75 percent of these deaths take place in 11 Florida counties: Brevard, Lee, Collier, Duval, Volusia, Broward, Palm Beach, Charlotte, Hillsborough, Citrus and Sarasota.
In developing its proposal, the Service took into consideration the biological needs of the manatee, as well as the potential economic impacts the federal designations might have. In all cases the Federal designation of manatee protection areas will not eliminate waterway property owner access rights. Residents and their guests would be permitted watercraft access through a manatee sanctuary or refuge to private residences, boat houses, and docks. Any authorized boating activity would be conducted by operating watercraft at "Slow Speed." Copies of the proposed rule may be obtained from the address below or requested by telephone at 904/232-2580 extension 122, by fax at 904/232-2404, by e-mail at @fws.gov">fw4_es_jacksonville@fws.gov, and via the Internet at http://northflorida.fws.gov.
The service encourages all interested stakeholders to comment on the proposed designations. Those stakeholders with information on existing conservation measures, special needs consideration, or other concerns are encouraged to make such information known to the Service, in writing, during the comment period. All comments on the proposed rule must be received within 60 days of the actual publication date of the proposed rule in the Federal Register.
The Service will hold a public hearing at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Melbourne, Brevard County, FL from 7:00 p.m. to 9 p.m. on September 13, 2001. Requests for additional public hearings must be received in writing no later than 30 days after Federal Register publication of the proposed rule.
Comments may be mailed, hand-delivered, faxed, or submitted electronically. Please mail or deliver comments to: Cameron Shaw, Jacksonville Field Office, 6620 Southpoint Drive, Suite 310, Jacksonville, FL 32216-0958. Comments may also be faxed to (904) 232-2404. Comments submitted electronically should be as ASCII text files, and please include your name and return mailing address in your e-mail. Send electronic comments to: @fws.gov">fw4_es_jacksonville@fws.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
