NEWSROOM
LDWF
Advises Boaters on Lake Pontchartrain and Connecting Waterways
to Remain Alert for Manatees in Area
August
10, 2005
The Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is advising fishermen and boaters
on Lake Pontchartrain and connecting waterways to exercise caution
if individual or groups of manatees are encountered.
Marine biologists with
the Audubon Nature Institute, working in tandem with LDWF, have
confirmed sightings of manatees in Lake Pontchartrain. Follow
up aerial surveys indicate that the manatees appear to have dispersed
throughout the Lake Pontchartrain basin.
The manatee is a slow
moving mammal that can grow to over 10 feet in length and weigh
over 1,000 pounds. They eat seagrass, water hyacinth and algae.
Manatees prefer warm
water and are found mainly in Florida's inland waters and coastal
zones. As a federally-protected endangered species, manatees should
not be handled, fed or watered.
Because of their grayish-brown
color, manatees are difficult to see in the water and thus subject
to injury from boat collisions. Area boaters are urged to remain
observant for the species through early October when they will
migrate back to Gulf waters. Boaters should not approach manatees
and make every effort to navigate around the creatures to avoid
contact.
LDWF is interested
in collecting data on the numbers and movement of manatees while
they inhabit the state's inland waterways. The public is urged
to assist in this effort by reporting any manatee sighting - including
live, injured or dead manatees - to 1-800-442-2511 or 504-378-2580.
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