The drama played out over two days last week on the Mackay and Hampton rivers off St. Simons Island and Brunswick.

Though often unnoticed in turbid coastal waters, Florida manatees are 1,000-pound-plus, federally protected marine mammals that migrate from Florida into Georgia and the Carolinas each spring into early fall to feed on abundant marsh plants and algae.

But the call and photographs from St. Simons’ Capt. Davis Galland on July 29 revealed a rarity: the first documented entanglement of a manatee in Georgia. The adult female had the line and buoy from a commercial crab pot wrapped tightly around her body, just behind the head and encircling her right pectoral flipper, said senior wildlife biologist Jessica Thompson, who leads the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Marine Mammal Program.

DNR responded quickly, attaching a satellite tracking tag and cutting away the anchoring crab trap before a storm chased the crew and Galland, who stayed to see if help was needed, off the water.

The next day, a three-boat, multi-state group including DNR, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Savannah State University Dolphin Sciences Lab managed to completely free the manatee.

It wasn’t easy. The plan was to pull the manatee onto Florida FWC’s manatee rescue boat using a specialized net so she could be assessed and all gear removed. Yet two smaller manatees – at least one was a calf – stayed too close for this approach.

The group worked through alternatives, keeping the safety of the animals and staff in mind. Although usually slow and docile, manatees are powerful and under stress can be unpredictable and move fast.

By early afternoon, members had removed the buoy and remaining line, which was beginning to cut into the manatee’s skin. Thompson said the successful effort involved skills learned in disentangling dolphins and North Atlantic right whales from commercial fishing gear, and highlighted the group’s collaborative approach and experience in working with marine mammals.

PARTNER COMMENTS

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Jessica Thompson, Marine Mammal Program manager with DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division 

“We knew the entanglement was life-threatening without human intervention, and that intervening posed a very high risk for the responders and the manatees. I am grateful for our DNR team and for being able to call on colleagues whose collective expertise gained during years of manatee rescues and captures, field observations of manatee behavior, and marine mammal disentanglement made this a success. It was great to be a part of a response team that demonstrated patience – understanding we had to think through all the options – and adaptability, being able to reassess the changing situation to move forward effectively.”

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute

Monica Ross, director of Manatee Research and Conservation

“Safely tracking and disentangling a free-swimming manatee in this type of situation requires patience, specialized expertise and close coordination among experienced responders. We were proud to work alongside Georgia DNR, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our other partners, contributing our marine mammal rescue and research experience to help safely free this manatee. It was an honor to be part of a response team that remained adaptable throughout the operation, and this successful outcome reflects what can be accomplished when organizations come together with a shared commitment to protecting marine wildlife.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Terri Calleson, Florida Manatee Recovery Lead 

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is dedicated to working with partners and the public to conserve and protect animals like this Florida manatee. We worked alongside Georgia DNR and our other partners, bringing our manatee expertise to the planning table. Together, we developed a rescue strategy and deployed the right team with the specialized skills and resources this complex operation required. Each partner contributed something essential, and USFWS was proud to lend our knowledge and support to the collective effort. Because of this impressive team response, this female manatee and what appeared to be a dependent calf have a chance to thrive and contribute to the wild population for years to come. It highlights how USFWS values our conservation partnerships and how manatee rescues truly ‘take a village,’ whether rendering emergency aid or working collaboratively toward species recovery.”

Savannah State University Dolphin Sciences Lab

Tara M. Cox, Ph.D., Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair in Marine Sciences

“It was an incredible opportunity for Savannah State University graduate students to learn alongside experienced professionals, expand their field skills and directly contribute to important conservation efforts.”

REPORTING MANATEES
If you see or photograph an entangled, entrapped, injured or dead manatee, contact (800) 2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363). Provide the date, time, location or coordinates, plus photos, if possible. Do not try to intervene: The on-call biologist will assess the situation.

FOR MORE
West Indian manatee profile