Marine Life & Conservation
Celebrate Manatee Awareness Month with Save the Manatee Club
This November, celebrate Manatee Awareness Month with Save the Manatee Club (SMC) by learning more about manatees and how to help protect them and their habitat. SMC will be sharing manatee activities, games, quizzes, and ways the public can help manatees throughout the month on social media and at savethemanatee.org/MAM beginning in November. Each week will have a different theme, from fun facts to taking action.
The month-long recognition of imperiled manatees was first declared in 1979 by Former Florida Governor Bob Graham, who co-founded Save the Manatee Club along with singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. Florida began designating manatee protection zones in the late 1970s in order to conserve the warm-water areas that manatees need to survive the winter as well as encourage slower boating speeds in areas where manatees frequent. In November, manatees usually begin returning to Florida’s warm waters. They need the constant warmth from natural springs or power plant effluents once the water temperature begins dipping below 68° F (20° C). Manatees remain near these sites until about March. Despite their size, manatees have relatively little body fat and cannot survive with prolonged exposure to cold water temperatures.
Floridians and those who visit Florida during the winter can learn how to recognize sick, injured, or orphaned manatees so they can report them to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “Boaters, especially, can be a tremendous help in reporting manatees in distress,” says Patrick Rose, Save the Manatee Club’s Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director. “Being aware of manatees’ presence on the water, and learning how to call when something is wrong, can help save a manatee’s life.”
Most adult manatees bear scars on their bodies from collisions with watercraft. When healed, the scars appear gray or white. But when fresh, they can look pink or red with deep cuts. That’s when a manatee should be reported. Manatees that are seen tilting to one side, unable to fully submerge underwater, or having trouble breathing should also be reported.
As a result of the severe losses of seagrass on the east coast of Florida, it is more important than ever to watch for manatees that appear malnourished, with visible ribs and a sunken area behind their head. A manatee calf by itself with no adults around may be an orphan and should be reported. Anyone who spends time near the water should view the resources at savethemanatee.org/rescue at least every November. Boaters can also request free materials such as boat decals displaying the FWC’s 24/7 wildlife alert hotline, 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
Save the Manatee Club also offers educational resources to increase manatee awareness for manatee-lovers of any age, including important facts and FAQs, manatee videos and live webcams. Additionally, SMC can provide live virtual presentations about manatees for classrooms or other groups upon request. “Education is one of the primary objectives in achieving our mission of manatee protection,” says Rose. “Whether for boaters in Florida or students all around the country, learning about and appreciating manatees plays an important role in helping to protect them and their essential habitat.”
For more information visit the Save the Manatee Club website by clicking here.
Marine Life & Conservation
Leading UK-based shark conservation charity, the Shark Trust, is delighted to announce tour operator Diverse Travel as a Corporate Patron
Corporate Patrons provide a valuable boost to the work of The Shark Trust. The Trust team works globally to safeguard the future of sharks, and their close cousins, the skates and rays, engaging with a global network of scientists, policymakers, conservation professionals, businesses and supporters to further shark conservation.
Specialist tour operator Diverse Travel has operated since 2014 and is committed to offering its guests high quality, sustainable scuba diving holidays worldwide. Working together with the Shark Trust will enable both organisations to widen engagement and encourage divers and snorkellers to actively get involved in shark conservation.
“Sharks are truly at the heart of every diver and at Diverse Travel, we absolutely share that passion. There is nothing like seeing a shark in the wild – it’s a moment that stays with you forever!” says Holly Bredin, Sales & Marketing Manager, Diverse Travel.
“We’re delighted to celebrate our 10th year of business by becoming a Corporate Patron of the Shark Trust. This is an exciting partnership for Diverse and our guests. We will be donating on behalf of every person who books a holiday with us to contribute towards their vital shark conservation initiatives around the world. We will also be working together with the Trust to inspire divers, snorkellers and other travellers to take an active role – at home and abroad – in citizen science projects and other activities.”
Paul Cox, CEO of The Shark Trust, said:
“It’s an exciting partnership and we’re thrilled to be working with Diverse Travel to enable more divers and travellers to get involved with sharks and shark conservation. Sharks face considerable conservation challenges but, through collaboration and collective action, we can secure a brighter future for sharks and their ocean home. This new partnership takes us one more valuable step towards that goal.”
For more information about the Shark Trust visit their website here.
For more about Diverse Travel click here.
Marine Life & Conservation
Shark Trust Asks Divers to help with Shark Sightings this Global Citizen Science Month
Whether you are stuck for ideas of what to do with the kids or are off on the dive trip of your dreams. You can get involved in Citizen Science Month and help the Shark Trust by providing vital data about sharks are rays both close to home and further afield.
In addition to reporting the sharks and rays you see on your dives, the eggcases you find on the beach, the Shark Trust is looking for some specific data from divers who are asked to report any Oceanic Whitetip and Basking Sharks.
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
The Shark Trust are looking specifically for Oceanic Whitetip Shark sightings over the coming weeks and months. So, if you are diving anywhere in the world, please report your sightings via the website or app.
Website: https://recording.sharktrust.org/
App: Search The Shark Trust in your app store
The Oceanic Whitetip. Known for their incredibly long dorsal and pectoral fins, this species was once the most abundant oceanic-pelagic species of shark on the planet.
Large and stocky, they are grey or brown above, and white below and famous for their huge rounded first dorsal fin and paddle-like pectoral fins. The fins also highly prized within the shark fin trade. Whilst they are mostly solitary, Oceanic Whitetips do occasionally hunt in groups.
An inquisitive species, they were easy prey for fisheries. Combined with their low reproductive rate, they were inevitably at high risk of population depletion. And declines of up to 99% have been reported in certain sea areas. They are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Redlist (2019).
Conservation efforts to discourage further declines include listing on CITES Appendix II and CMS Appendix I. They’re also the only species prohibited from take by all the Tuna RFMOs (Regional Fisheries Management Organisations). However, these measures do not mean that Oceanic Whitetips are not still caught – whether targeted or as bycatch – in some parts of the world. With populations declining at such a high rate, effective implementation of management measures is essential to ensure that the species can recover.
If you are lucky enough to get an image of an Oceanic Whitetip and you record your sighting on the Shark Trust app or website YOU CAN WIN! All images submitted with sightings, that also give consent to use in conservation messaging, will be in with a chance to win an Oceanic Whitetip T-shirt and mug. The competition will run until the end of “Shark Month” in July – so keep those sightings (and images) coming in.
Basking Sharks
Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) season is upon us, and the Shark Trust is asking everyone to keep an eye out for these majestic giants over the summer months. If you see any, you can record your sighting to the Basking Shark Sightings database.
Each year, these mighty fish return to British waters to feed on plankton. You may see one, (or a few if you’re really lucky) from around April-October. They can be seen feeding at the surface of the water, where they look like they’re basking in the sun. Thus, their name!
Sighting hotspots around the British Isles include southwest England, Isle of Man, north coast of Ireland, and western Scotland. The Sea of the Hebrides is the most prolific sightings area in Scotland, but they have been spotted all around the coast and have even ventured into some of the sea lochs. The Shark Trust has received thousands of sightings since the Basking Shark project began, but more data is needed to truly understand what is going on with population numbers and distribution. You can help by recording your sightings this summer.
Great Eggcase Hunt
The Shark Trust has an Easter Egg Hunt with a difference for you to try. Take part in the Great Eggcase Hunt and get involved with a big citizen science project that helps shark, ray and skate conservation. And it’s an enjoyable activity for all the family.
The Shark Trust also want snorkellers and divers to record their underwater eggcase findings. Underwater records help pinpoint exactly where sharks and skates are laying their eggs and can help link to beach records. Learning the depth and substrate that they lay on also helps better understand the species.
Find out more: https://www.sharktrust.org/great-eggcase-hunt
Whether you are diving, snorkelling or exploring on the beach you can take part in Citizen Science Month and get actively involved in shark and ray conservation. Find out more: www.sharktrust.org
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