The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces today that eleven of the fifteen areas designated as federal manatee protection zones on November 1, 2002, are being posted with temporary notification buoys on the water to notify the public when they are entering a federal manatee protection area.
The temporary notification buoys are the first step in permanently signing these federal manatee protection areas. Permanent signs are being manufactured, and the Service is working closely with the State of Florida, the appropriate counties, and the U.S. Coast Guard to receive the permits and approvals necessary to post these areas with permanent signs. Until that process can be completed, the Service is taking action to post these areas with temporary notification buoys to ensure the protection of manatees. The Service believes these temporary measures are essential as boater activity increases during the winter months and manatees congregate in greater numbers in these areas.
The Service asks boaters to be on the look-out for temporary notification buoys which are white and marked with international, blaze-orange, diamond, marker symbols. The buoys indicate that boaters are entering federal manatee protection areas and should slow down and be aware of manatees in the water.
The eleven areas posted with temporary notification buoys include:
Federal Manatee Sanctuaries (these are areas where boats are seasonally prohibited)
Hillsborough County- The Big Bend Manatee Sanctuary is a manatee sanctuary, containing approximately 12.08 ha (29.85 acres), at the Tampa Electric Company
