Marine Life & Conservation
Manatee Madness
During a visit to Florida, Mona and John from The Scuba Place swam with manatees and learned some very interesting facts.
John and I made a trip to the USA this Spring and had the opportunity to check out all that Florida has to offer travelling divers. We had seen manatees in various Florida marinas over the years but had never had the opportunity to swim with them so our first stop after visiting family was to Crystal River, just a little over an hour north of Tampa International Airport. Crystal River is one of the few places you can legally swim with manatees in their natural habitat. We booked a 3 hour swim with Fun 2 Dive with a 10:00 am departure. Fun 2 Dive asked us to arrive 15 minutes early to check in and participate in a short educational briefing. We arrived with our camera gear in tow and the staff asked to view a video from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service titled “Crystal River Refuge’s ‘Manatee Manners’ for Photographers and Videographers”.
Between November and April every year this area is home to the largest aggregation of manatees in a natural environment. We were there mid-May but were confident we would have an amazing experience! And did we ever! Our guide for the day Dani, is a self-proclaimed manatee nerd! She has had a passion for manatees since the age of 13 and loves what she does! Our group of 10 loaded up on the Fun 2 Dive bus and took the short 5-minute trip to the marina. We boarded the pontoon and motored out into the nearby inlet. There were a few other boats in the area and as one boat was moving off, they let us know that there were three manatees in the area. Armed with our pool noodles, snorkel gear and cameras, we carefully entered the water and were lucky enough to find a mother and baby!
We spent the next few hours with our faces in the water amazed by the encounter. These beautiful yet endangered animals are gentle giants found in inlets, marinas, and coastal shallows. Often bearing numerous scars from boat propellors, these sea-cows are super cute in an ugly way but so much fun to be in the water with! Don’t be fooled by their size and slowness – when they want to move, they can put on a real burst of speed! And while we could have spent all day with them, watching the baby nurse and then munch on some sea grass in just a few inches of water, our time came to an end, and we loaded back up on the boat.
We have to thank Dani for her enthusiasm and endless knowledge of manatees!
Here are 10 facts Chloe researched for us that we had to share:
- Manatees can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes!
Although manatees live in the water, they need to breathe air to survive. Common sense, right? Well, you’ll be surprised to know that manatees don’t use their mouth to breathe. By breathing through their nostrils, they can achieve a higher rate of exchange of air, exchanging about 90% of the air in their lungs, whereas humans only exchange about 10%. This enables a manatee to hold its breath for longer.
- The oldest manatee in the world died at age 69.
The average lifespan of a manatee is 40 years old. However, Snooty exceeded this! Snooty the manatee from Florida was born in captivity and raised in Bishop Museum of Science and Nature’s Parker Aquarium. Due to hand rearing, Snooty was never released to the wild. Snooty sadly died two days after his 69th birthday, which was actually down to human error. It is thought that Snooty could’ve reached 100 years old!
- Sea cow? More like Sea Elephant!
It is suggested that manatees have evolved from four-legged land mammals over millions of years.
The last ancestor they share with elephants lived about 60 million years ago.
- Man vs Food finds potential new host
An incredibly impressive fact is that a manatee eats around a tenth of its body weight in food each day! Let’s all appreciate that they can weigh up to 450kg and their diet is predominately made up of seagrass, which weighs hardly anything!! Hence why manatees are munching all day, they’ve a job to do! That’ll give any Man vs Food challenge a run for its money. Their diet is a good indicator of an ecosystem’s health. A full up manatee suggests its immediate environment is flourishing.
Each species of manatee is a member of the Sirenius family, which shares a common ancestor with the elephant, aardvark and small gopher-like hyrax.
- There’s no looking back for a Manatee. Seriously, they can’t turn their heads.
As manatees don’t possess the same neck vertebra as humans, they can’t rotate their heads like we can. This means if they want to look back or to the sides, they must move their whole body. What an effort!
- Manatees have SIX senses
Manatees have tiny hairs distributed sparsely all over their body that are known as vibrissae. Studies have suggested that these tactile body hairs can be just as sensitive as whiskers and can help analyse surroundings underwater and detect vibrations in the water. Having this sixth sense is great help to manatees, as they are not known to have 20:20 vision, particularly at night.
- Who are you calling fat?
Although they may look fat and blubbery, manatees don’t have a thick layer of fat for insulation; that’s why they prefer warmer waters! So, if it’s not fat, what is it? Well, the reason for their size is due to their stomach and intestines taking up a lot of space.
- Dentist? No thanks!
Manatees’ teeth often get worn down through their relentless chewing and munching but this doesn’t cause concern. Manatees grow and lose teeth throughout their entire lives, just like elephants. Older teeth fall out at the front whilst new teeth grow through at the back of their mouths.
- Causes of death
This is not such a fun fact. Whilst manatees do not have any natural predators in the wild, humans have had a large part of putting this species at risk of extinction. According to the United States Fishing and Wildlife Services, around 99 manatee deaths each year are related to human activities, especially boat injuries. Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 to help lower this number.
- Pregnancy Glow
Once female manatees reach the age of 5, they are ready to mate. It’s almost twice as long for males, taking a further 4 years to be ready. Take your time guys! Once pregnant, the gestation period for a manatee can be between 11 and 12 months. Manatees typically only have on calf per pregnancy, although rare, twins have been born too. Once born, a calf can weigh up to a whopping 32kg and will stay with its mother for around 2 years. One last bizarre fact we found out whilst on our trip, is that the mothers’ teats are found on the joint of the flippers. Check out the image below…
Would you like to swim with manatees? Dive the Florida coasts? Spend the day with Mickey Mouse? The Scuba Place can arrange a custom trip for you! Let us put together a Fly-Drive-Dive holiday that ticks all the boxes!
Keep your eyes on this space as we headed over to the East coast of Florida to dive Key Largo, West Palm Beach and Jupiter and we’ve got stories to share!!! Come Dive with Us!
Find out more about the worldwide dive itineraries that The Scuba Place offers at 
www.thescubaplace.co.uk.
This holiday period, the Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading ocean membership charity, invites you to make some simple changes to eating fish this Christmas to help our seas.
Dr Kenneth Bodles, Head of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “During the festive season, our consumption increases, but so does waste. Sustainability isn’t just about where food comes from – it’s also about how you use it. By reducing waste and making the most out of your seafood, you’re not only taking steps to be more ocean-friendly, but can also help to cut costs during what is often one of the most expensive times of the year”.
The Marine Conservation Society has compiled twelve tips on how to consume seafood sustainably with zero-waste this Christmas:
Buy whole fish instead of fillets
Instead of fillets, consider buying whole fish such as salmon, hake, or lemon sole. By adopting a “nose to tail” approach with cooking, whole-baked fish not only feeds a crowd, but also helps to minimise waste and maximise sustainability by using up every part of the animal, including bones, skin, and fat.
Make fish stock
Leftover fish bones or shells can be put to good use by boiling them to make a nourishing fish stock or bisque. This can be frozen and preserved for later use and makes for a flavourful base in a soup.
Make your own fish pâté
Avoid waste by turning leftover fish, such as smoked mackerel or salmon, into a delicious pâté by blending with cream cheese and lemon. Perfect when paired with crackers.
The sustainability of salmon and mackerel varies depending on where and how it is caught or farmed. For more information on green-rated options, check the charity’s Good Fish Guide.
Buy frozen
By purchasing seafood that is frozen or vacuum-packed, this helps to reduce waste by extending the shelf life of your food.
Fish pie
If you’re wondering what to do with leftover cooked fish, why not opt for a classic fish pie with mashed potatoes, leeks, and a cheesy sauce? A sure crowd pleaser on Boxing Day.
Use the head
Don’t forget the fish head! The meat is incredibly tender and flavourful. The charity recommends a cod’s head curry or recreating Fallow’s renowned cod’s head in siracha butter.
By stretching your ingredients further, not only is this a more sustainable way to enjoy seafood, but also cost-effective by repurposing leftovers and cooking creatively.
Boxing Day brunch
Mix leftover kippers or smoked salmon with scrambled eggs for a tasty, zero-waste, Boxing Day brunch.
For best choice, make sure you buy kippers, or herring, from the North Sea and the North Irish Sea.
Zero-waste storage
A top tip from the Marine Conservation Society to avoid waste is freezing fish offcuts to save for future use.
Crisp up the skin
Even leftover fish skin can be turned into a quick savoury snack by crisping it up in an air fryer with a little olive oil and salt.
Anchovies two ways
Leftover anchovies can either be blended with butter to make a delicious anchovy butter or tossed into pasta for a hit of umami flavour.
The charity recommends opting for anchovies caught in the Bay of Biscay for best choice.
Fishcakes
For an easy, zero-waste meal, leftover seafood trimmings can be mixed with mash and fried in breadcrumbs to make fishcakes.
Pickled mussels
Try pickling mussels in 1:1 vinegar and water, with a dash of sugar for a sustainable, zero-waste snack that can be enjoyed well beyond the festive season.
Mussels farmed in the UK are a seafood superhero. Grown using low-impact methods and harvested by hand, they get all the food they need from the sea around them. This makes them one of the most sustainable, ocean-friendly, and cost-effective seafood options.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised £6.6M towards the Marine Conservation Society’s vital work in making seafood more sustainable.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Fish is a festive favourite for many, but making sustainable choices when it comes to how we buy and eat seafood makes all the difference for our ocean. Support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery has helped the Marine Conservation Society further its sustainable seafood work, so that we can all enjoy healthier, better protected seas.”
The Marine Conservation Society encourages you to make sustainable seafood choices a year-round habit, not just for Christmas. To check how sustainable the seafood on your plate is, you can visit the charity’s Good Fish Guide. The Guide helps consumers and businesses identify the most sustainable seafood using a simple traffic light system, based on where and how species are caught or farmed. Green is the best choice, amber means improvements are needed, and red indicates fish to avoid buying.
Zero-waste gift idea
Why not embrace a zero-waste Christmas by gifting a membership to support marine conservation? It’s a meaningful, low-waste gift that helps protect our ocean for generations to come. Memberships start from as little as £5 a month – the price of a sandwich and drink from your local coffee shop.
Find the latest sustainable seafood advice for wild-caught and farmed seafood on the Good Fish Guide, downloadable to your phone from www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
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