FAU researcher might have found solution to manatee boat collisions
Edmund Gerstein claims that slower boat speeds may be causing manatees more harm than good.
The Florida manatee. Photo courtesy of Flickr
August 29, 2017
The Florida manatee was one of the first mammals ever to be put on the endangered species list in the 1970s. And while they’ve been downgraded to threatened, they’re still at risk in Florida waters.
But after 20 years of research, FAU director of marine mammal research Edmund Gerstein may have found a solution.
Gerstein studies manatees in an effort to increase their low population numbers. Even after a 2007 law was passed requiring boats to slow their speed once they enter “manatee safe zones,” boat collisions kill 100 manatees every year, an FAU press release said.
The director questioned why the mammals tend to swim toward boat engines rather than away from them. After years of testing their hearing, he found that they have “difficulty hearing and locating low frequency sounds,” which means they aren’t aware of a “slow moving boat.”
As a solution, Gerstein and his wife Laura began working on an alarm that can help the sea cows hear the approaching engines.
Gerstein tested the device on 124 manatees, says the The Sun-Sentinel. Ninety-five percent moved from the path of a boat when they heard the alarm. And when the device wasn’t used, 95 percent continued to swim in the same direction.
After starting the project more than 10 years ago, the Gersteins are closer than ever to making it available to the public.
The alarm should cost about $120 once it hits the market.
Nicole Pujazon is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @NicolePujazon.
Chep • Feb 24, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Kirby, where did you get your information from? This couldn’t be farther from the truth and is an old, persistent wives tale. The West Indian Manatee has been in Florida waters all along with evidence from fossil records, native american traditions and even sketches drawn by the first European colonists of manatee being caught and smoked by the native people for food.
The name “West Indian” has confused some people into believing this tale, but it refers to the West Indies which includes the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the islands surrounding Florida as well as a number of other Caribbean islands. It’s a short swim from many of these islands to Florida and quite achievable by these beautiful animals.
Kirby • Sep 5, 2017 at 4:23 pm
Manatees aren’t native to Florida. They were originally brought here for food. Farmed sea cows escaped their ponds during the ’46 hurricane and propogated. They eat valuable sea grasses which hurt the fish hatcheries and other marine invertebrates. The loss of sea grasses also hinder a cleansing process called grass water purification. This increases chemical levels within our ICW and estuaries. Although cute, this mammal should be reconsidered as a FL protected species considering the sea bed damage and resulting effect on the local marine ecosystems.
Matt Clemons • Sep 1, 2017 at 12:59 pm
It would be nice to think it would be this simple, but most studies on sonic deterrents find that they don’t work over time as the animal acclimates.
I think Dr Tripp said it well in this exchange:
“When you slow boats down, it takes longer to get through a manatee habitat, which increases the time of exposure and chance of collision,” Gerstein said.
Tripp was skeptical.
“For that same reason, we better speed though school zones,” she said.
Alan Huff was also quoted as saying: “Ohhh, Not That again!”
Boaters and lawmakers were quite taken with Gerstein’s study. The state funneled tens of thousands of dollars into more research – which repeatedly contradicted his research. The new research found that manatees don’t have any trouble hearing boats.