Manatee Encounter in Marathon

I saw the first manatee in the marina and I got to pet it, feed it some water, a stalk of celery, and give it a scrub to get the algae and other growth on his back. At first I thought the manatee had big scratches on its back, but I found out it was just where it scratched the algae off itself by rubbing against the docks and dinghies parked there. This was the coolest experience with the manatee even though I was getting eaten alive by the no-see-ums and mosquitoes. Then a guy walked by telling us it was illegal by federal law to touch and feed the manatee because it was an endangered species. He said feeding it water was bad for them because they would get full off the fresh water and not get the nutrients they need from the vegetation they normally consume. Also the guy said the algae that was on their backs supposedly "keeps the bugs off of them." I don't know what bugs he was referring to, but I decided to learn more about manatees. I enjoyed the time I had with the manatee and I hope I didn't do it any harm as it was not my intention. I found online some rules and regulations regarding the manatees. "Manatees are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal. Manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. Anyone convicted of violating this state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500.00 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison. Feeding manatees, giving them water, or otherwise altering their natural behavior can be considered harassment." (http://www.homesafe.com/features/manatee/rules-of-the-road.php) To refute the statements made by a few people, I found that the reason you should not feed or provide water to the manatees is due to the association they make with humans and food or water and that will endanger the manatees because there are people who will harm them and the manatees will learn to go near places that will endanger their well being. As far as the algae growth, I found nothing about so called "bugs" that the algae provides protection from on the manatees. The only thing that I found the algae could possibly benefit the manatee is by giving it sun protection.

Now that I have been informed about manatees and have had my manatee encounter, I will enjoy the gentle giants as they turn up and I will at the most watch and photograph them. It is sad that so many manatees are being killed by power boaters and from fishermen improperly disposing of mono filament line and netting. This year (2009) has hit a record high in manatee death in Florida. The manatee deaths can be reduced with a change in human behavior, which I believe can be done with enough education and enforcement for boaters and fishermen. I hope to see more of the manatees in the future as they have been quite elusive to me.