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Mobile Manatees Sighting Network Work Update |
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The Mobile Manatees program has focused on defining where manatees live and what they eat while visiting Mobile Bay and adjacent waters. The program also is dedicated to sharing data with other researchers, managers, and the public. In 2007, DISL and Wildlife Trust (WT) in Florida started the Mobile Manatees Sighting Network, the first formal network to receive and track manatee sightings in AL waters. The program successfully processed more than 100 sightings in 2007 (in contrast, only 156 sightings were recorded for the area in the entire 20 years prior). The program serendipitously served as a contact for sightings from other regions such as MS, FL, NC, and GA. In less than one year, Mobile Manatees was featured in 4 regional TV news broadcasts, 14 newspaper articles throughout AL, and newspapers in WI and OH. Data provided by this program also was responsible for the AL Natural Heritage Program's recent decision to reclassify manatees in AL waters from accidental (SA) to priority (SI). This year, we received our first manatee sighting on March 3 in Fowl River, earlier than expected. We look forward to more reports as the weather warms. We will continue regular visits to areas frequented by Manatees and will conduct aerial surveys in June. |
Look closely and you'll see a manatee under the waters of Fowl River. This animal was spotted in March this year. |
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What you can do to assist our research and help protect manatees in Mobile Bay:
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