Miami International Boat Show spotters help keep manatees safe
MIAMI - On the first morning of the Miami International Boat Show, boat captains were urged to take precautions during their "sea trials," or test drives, near the Venetian Marina.
"Show caution, we just had a splash, but I don't know what it is," Dr. Amy Hirons, a professor at NOVA Southeastern University and Director of Charismatic Megafauna and Oceanography Laboratory, yells from the dock to passing boaters. "We got a splash; I don't know what it is."
"Tarpon!" the boaters yell back.
"It might be [the] Loch Ness Monster too, you never know," they joke.
It's not tarpon that they're looking for. And no, certainly not the Loch Ness Monster. Hirons and her group of volunteers were looking for manatees. The group of volunteers, around 10 to 20 people, is comprised mainly of undergraduate and graduate students from Nova Southeastern University.
And they are keeping their eyes peeled throughout the duration of the event.
"If their are eyes spotted on anything, whoever does the initial spotting, you stay with that manatee," Hirons exclaimed to the group of manatee spotters before setting them loose.
With walkie-talkies on and clipboards in hand, the volunteers set out along the Venetian Marina to look for manatees near the docks and also while they are on the boats during sea trials.
Rileigh Gonzalez, a junior studying Environmental Science at NOVA Southeastern University, yelled "bye to some of her team members as she departed the marina on a boat that is setting out for a sea trial.
She has completed specialized training on how to identify manatees in the water.
"A lot of times, they create a big circle around them when they breach with their fluke," she explained, "So, a lot of times you can tell that they're there if there is a big circular motion."
Once a manatee is spotted, she alerts the captain to stop the engine for at least 20 minutes.
"Manatees can hold their breath for 20 minutes, so you want to make sure you're staying there without your engines, so if they do end up going under your boat, you are not boat-striking them," Gonzalez said.
Thankfully, with the diligence of manatee spotters like Gonzalez and the cooperation of captains, there have been no injuries since the manatee spotters program started four years ago.
That's good news, considering a portion of the boat Saow's sea trials are done over a designated manatee habitat.
"All of this area here around Venetian Marina is an essential manatee habitat. Meaning it's got the perfect mix of habitat and food for them," Dr. Hirons points out.
And when it comes to protecting that habitat, the captains at the boat show are all on board, even if it means pausing the sea trials for a moment.
"They want to protect things. Do they occasionally get a little disgruntled if operations are shut down for a period of time? Certainly, but they pretty much do it in good humor," Hirons joked.
All in the name of keeping South Florida's most beloved gentle giant safe.
