This month, FAU’s researchers can add “savior of manatees” to their list of accomplishments.

That’s because FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), a marine research organization, is installing new radar sensors near Lake Okeechobee this summer. If all goes right, these would prevent manatees from being injured or killed by the waterway’s floodgates and boat locks, says Larry Taylor, project manager for manatee protection systems at Harbor Branch.

The device, called “Manatee Acoustic Detection Sensor Protection System,” is an underwater acoustic system of transmitters and receivers that electronically detects the animal as it swims through the lock gates, freezing operations and letting the animal pass unharmed.

Since 1974, lock gates caused 191 manatee deaths statewide, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida manatees live in shallow, calm rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. They move from fresh to salt water easily and they frequent most areas of Florida. There are about 3,000 manatees in existence today.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded HBOI a $5.8 million contract in June to build sensors along six locations in the Okeechobee Waterway System. One location is a water lock along Port Mayaca, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico on the Port St. Lucie River. All six will be installed by the end of the summer.

Ten years ago, HBOI engineers installed a prototype along the Port St. Lucie River. This proved successful, Taylor says, so they tweaked the design to make the radar sensors smaller, faster, easier to use and less expensive.

“We are extremely proud to have received this federal contract to continue our efforts in safeguarding manatees,” says HBOI executive director Shirley Pomponi. “This project is part of years-long efforts on their part to have prevention measures in place.”