Manatee
Project
Tags Two
Males In
Dog River
By David rainer
alabama Department of
Conservation and natural resources
M
anatees have the reputation of
being docile, slow-motion grazers that just ease along the warm
waters of the Gulf Coast, hence
the nickname “sea cow.” that might hold true
most of the time, but when researchers attempt
to apply a tag, the gentle giants act more like
cornered bulls.
Until recently, most people along the northern
Gulf Coast thought manatee sightings were
the result of animals that had gone astray
from their normal haunts in central and south
Florida.
thanks to the work of the Dauphin island Sea
lab (DiSl) and Manatee Project Director Dr.
ruth Carmichael, those misconceptions are
being revealed. a tagging program started
in 2009 has yielded a great deal of evidence
about the manatees that visit the northern Gulf
Coast.
the most recent tagging effort happened
recently under the combined efforts of the
alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
(WFF) Division, DiSl, the University of South
alabama, Sea to Shore alliance, SeaWorld
Orlando, University of Florida, lucky Dog
aviation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceDaphne, DiSl volunteers and interns. the
use of a spotter plane was donated by Shrimp
Basket restaurants.
Carmichael said the Manatee Project started
in 2007, and the first tagging occurred in 2009.
52 | BLAZE | Fall/Winter 2015
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