The entangled manatee was reported last week, and rescuers persevered. Please note that the green netting in these photos is the netting used to rescue the manatee in order to remove the lines and crab traps.
CLEARWATER, FL (Nov. 21, 2023) – A manatee in Clearwater Bay had quite a harrowing experience this past week but luckily after the persistence of local agencies, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and ZooTampa at Lowry Park, he was able to be returned safely. Last Thursday, it was reported to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that a manatee was entangled in line wrapped several times around its peduncle, within a mile of CMA at Island Estates.
Due to rain and bad weather conditions, teams were unable to respond.
On Friday, FWC’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory (MMPL) tagged the 9.5 foot animal with a radio tag, and members of CMA team assisted with the attempted rescue. However, it was unsuccessful due to too many other manatees in the area.
“We continued to assist with scouting for the animal over the weekend and tracking reports, and the animal was consistently reported in waters within or nearby Island Estates,” said Hannah Rogers, Senior Rescue Biologist at CMA.
“On Monday, we had personnel scouting various locations by both land and boat, and MMPL had personnel scouting various locations on land as well,” said Rogers.
“We received a possible report of the animal in the Mandalay channel but could not see any entanglement, buoy, or tag.“We continued to scout other areas nearby just in case, and had a rescue team member in a kayak remain with the animal to further verify whether or not there was an entanglement. The kayaker was able to see the tag under the surface of the water and verify this was the animal we had been searching for.“We assisted in monitoring the animal while MMPL brought the capture vessel and then we assisted with rescue,” she said.
It was then found that in addition to the line wrapped around its peduncle, there were four stone crab traps attached to the line. FWC disentangled and completed a workup of the animal, cleaned the entanglement site with betadine, and released the animal.
Report injured, orphaned, entangled, distressed or dead manatees to the FWC. Call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
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All activities were conducted under USFWS Permit #MA770191.
MEDIA CONTACT Marsha Strickhouser, (727) 242-0770, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, mstrickhouser@cmaquarium.org.
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- About Clearwater Marine Aquarium
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. With a mission to preserve the environment and its marine life, CMA is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, a nurse shark and more. Through Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, CMA conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, North Atlantic right whales and sea turtles. Major motion picture Dolphin Tale (2011) and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) features the true stories of rescued resident dolphins Winter and Hope, inspiring millions around the world. The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world.
© 2023 Clearwater Marine Aquarium | 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 | 727-445-1139 | 727-441-1790 | mission.cmaquarium.org | cmaquarium.org
We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation.
A Florida non-profit 501(c)(3) organization