Feeding manatees pilot program

[Orion922]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...an/6425522001/

Heard this on the radio today. I say the hell with the typical red tape and start feeding them.

[Gamblerman65]

Manatees eat grass not chemicals from spray boats. FWC kills the grass = nothing for the Manatees to eat.

[TampaJim]

They're hungry. Plenty of romaine, mustards, collards, etc. this time of year.
Feed them, but spread it around and don't make a habit out of it.
However, we still need to address our much larger issues ... pollution and speed.
The overcrowding here is real, beyond real. Manatees need protection.

[cg2fish]

They need food. You can’t kill all the grass and think the manatees will survive.

[csurp]

Where in the state is FL spraying weeds in Manatee habitat?

[BOATS]

Where in the state is FL spraying weeds in Manatee habitat?

Most of the St. Johns River System.

[TampaJim]

Where in the state is FL not spraying weeds in Manatee habitat?

FIFY ... much, much, much shorter list.

[csurp]

Most of the St. Johns River System.

Thanks

[BassCatBrad]

Manatees were in the Harris Chain last year, especially lake Griffin but haven't seen them lately, probably because they started nuking the chain again.

[Gamblerman65]

Aren’t they in Lake Okeechobee.

[Orion922]

It comes down to will power and policy. We saved whales from extraction, alligators,
bald eagles, etc. If Elon Musk can start a company to buy people in space we can grow grass in high water and tough conditions.

[perfect-storm]

Aren’t they in Lake Okeechobee.

Yes, quite a few of them.

[Mickstix]

Where in the state is FL spraying weeds in Manatee habitat?

Anywhere there's a manatee over 10 miles from the coast.

[Gamblerman65]

Where’s PETA?

[JohnM64]

Where in the state is FL spraying weeds in Manatee habitat?

These manatees are the Mosquito and Indian River Lagoon variety. While thats pretty much saltwater down there, the grass is all gone too.

I don't believe this was a spray issue, more like habitat degradation, and almost stagnant, septic conditions.

I fished a Contractors tournament there last year. The world famous Mosquito Lagoon was a turbid, stinky, fishless mess.

We had to run out of the Lagoon through Haulover and into the Indian to find cleaner water and fish. While there was still no grass, the Indian River at least had tidal movement and better conditions.