It Has Begun-Kill a Manatee/lose your boat

[euro scott]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110202/APN/1102022251

[liquidsign]

there not gonna take your boat if you arent speeding in a manatee zone

[XstreamVking]

If you do happen to run over one of those critters, don't even tell the priest at confession. Theres getting to be so many, you stand a good chance of hitting one even in non manatee zones, even in the middle of a busy channel...

[Sheer Insanity]

What the "F" gives them the right?! I say we all load up the spear guns and take care of the problem once and for all. Why dont they move them to the everglades like the Gators??

I say put the Manatee's on trial for for damaging my boat. :reddevil:

[Sheer Insanity]

there not gonna take your boat if you arent speeding in a manatee zone

Boating advice from New York.... Have you ever tryed to get a 25 pitched prop boat to go 25 mph??

[D.B.S]

Boating advice from New York.... Have you ever tryed to get a 25 pitched prop boat to go 25 mph??

Thats funny!! but so right!

[Ron V]

Boating advice from New York.... Have you ever tryed to get a 25 pitched prop boat to go 25 mph??

Yep...done it with a 27 too. Too bad you guys are burdened with so much B.S. though. From the outside looking in, one would expect Florida to be a boating-friendly state. But everything I hear and read is much to the contrary...

[Sheer Insanity]

......I wonder what they taste like?? :eek::eek: Just like the Cheasapeake Bay used to be good fishing. Now the Rock Fish are the only thing left. I used to catch White perch and Blue fish till I was sick of fishing, now your lucky to have a Blue crab grab your bait?

Soon there will be to many to avoid and someone in a small boat will get hurt being thrown from the boat...

[mickeyjr]

Laugh if you want, but someday that's what the manatee f***ers will use to fit their agenda, they will try and ban boats altogether from areas because of the high numbers of manatees....something they have tried to do for years and with some success in certain areas like Brevard Co. Instead of protecting them because they are "endangered" they will just be protecting them!

[liquidsign]

yeah what would anyone from new york know about boating? good one,, fyi i lived and boated in south florida for over 10 years

[Fish]

Guy had 2 priors and then killed an endangered species so he got an enhanced sentence. If a guy had 2 priors speeding through a florida panther crossing zone and then killed one People would line up with torches to burn him. Judges are extremely reluctant to take boats in fl, but have a surprising number of opportunities under fl stats if they choose to.

[Dave Strong]

Boating advice from New York.... Have you ever tryed to get a 25 pitched prop boat to go 25 mph??

Not sure if I can do it with a 28", speedo doesn't start till 30mph:eek:


Dave:smiletest:

[allen shadd]

......I wonder what they taste like?? :eek::eek: ...

They taste just like Bald Eagle. Hehe

[delawarerick]

They taste just like Bald Eagle. Hehe

I heard more like chicken. The rich along the inter-coastal here dictate the law. Rick

[XstreamVking]

The old timers around here used to eat them on a regular basis.... But dn. in the glades, strangely enough tho the gators and crocs.(yea we have crocs in fl) will have nothing to do with them. Alive or dead. Never seen a shark go after one either... So they have no natural enemies. Except, choppers, cleavers, and some sharpened skegs....

[Da Bull]

If yall`s python infestation gets much worse and the gators have nothing to eat that my change. They may develop a taste for manatee`s.

DB

[Brabender]

You can eat alligator but not manatee?

[Instigator]

We should be pissed at the idiot that got busted not the laws that he broke. As Fish said, the guy is a habitual offender and had been nailed for speeding in the same no wake/manatee zone multiple tiimes and as recently as a week prior. Officers said near exact same location as they got him this time.
Be like being pissed at water patrol for picking on someone in a fast boat speeding in a no wake zone and getting busted for the 3rd time. We all push that one on a regular basis but would be a clear case of one idiot screwing it up worse for all of us.
This instance was 8:30 @ night and the part that hasn't hit the news yet (but sure as hell will) was that it was a female manatee that was nursing a young calf that they can no longer find.
Clearly the manatee zones, laws and whacko activists are way over the line but this idiot just threw fuel on their fire!
As I posted before, if you want to bitch you have to act. I just renewed my member ship to "Concerned Citizens for Florida Waterways" to help this group fight for our rights.

[Instigator]

You can eat alligator but not manatee?

Yes.
Here's another little tid bit the activists aren't telling you. Due to them forcing the power companies to continue pumping warm water into the rivers/canals even after closing the old plants (we pay for!), the manatees continue to congregate/breed/feed there. This artificial warm water counter acts their natural instinct to migrate during the cold season so they stay in these tiny areas (while reproducing non-stop) until eating all the local food and having to venture out in search of more food where they get hypothermia and die. Wonder who's fault this will be, if and when it ever makes the news?
The state is also spending huge money right now by closing and draining the barge canal between the Indian and Banana Rivers at Cape Canaveral to "update" the current/un-effective anti-manatee protection system. So they divert traffic a second time and spend the money a second time to do what the experts tell them to because it didn't work the first time??


Now they're eating all the close food so w

[Mr. Demeanor]

I am just not real comfortable with the precedence set by this sentence. I would rather see his boating registration suspended for a period of time. This would be more in line with habitual driving offenders where their drivers license and/or registration is suspended/revoked.
There are certain crimes that carry the potential for asset forfeiture. Drug trafficking crimes are the most common where assets that can be proven to have been purchased with drug money may be seized. This ruling/sentence goes in w whole new direction and I would be surprised if it is not challenged.

[bretter]

226945 just doing my part.

[Action Dave]

I hate the manatee laws as much as anyone but it's idiots like this guy that are making it harder on recreational boaters. The manatee huggers will use him as an example of what us "evil boaters" will do to there ever beloved manatees if they don't add more restrictions.

[Forkin' Crazy]

I am just not real comfortable with the precedence set by this sentence. I would rather see his boating registration suspended for a period of time. This would be more in line with habitual driving offenders where their drivers license and/or registration is suspended/revoked.
There are certain crimes that carry the potential for asset forfeiture. Drug trafficking crimes are the most common where assets that can be proven to have been purchased with drug money may be seized. This ruling/sentence goes in w whole new direction and I would be surprised if it is not challenged.

Game laws and confiscation. Break a game law, especially federal, and they'll take what ever you have. Guns, boats, ATVs, trucks, etc. The only instance where I have seen them not, was if the vehicle/boat was heavily financed.

[OMCD]

If they took all the boats that kill a manatee the Coastguard would not have one boat in my area, when its quitting time they blast back to their dock in their big rubber boats with twin Verados.

[Instigator]

If you get caught removing an artifact from a protected ship wreck they WILL take your boat. Even in Lake Erie. It has been done.

ActionDave said it perfect. Just wait till it hits the news about it being a mother nursing a calf! Ain't seen nothing yet.

Here yah go......., from Trade Only.com. Click the link and read the comments starting on this brand new story. This is a marine trades news letter and marine based business people commmenting. Wait till the general press gets a hold of it!
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/508743-florida-man-hits-manatee-has-to-give-up-boat

Florida man hits manatee, has to give up boat
Posted on February 03, 2011
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In what is believed to be the first federal criminal prosecution in Florida for striking and killing a manatee with a boat, a Merritt Island man was sentenced Wednesday for killing the animal while zipping through a manatee slow zone.

Joseph Miata Jr., 62, who repeatedly had been cited for speeding through manatee zones, had to forfeit his 20-foot, $5,500 boat to the federal government and pay a $600 donation to a wildlife conservation group, the Florida Today newspaper reported.

"This is the first time that we're aware of that we ever prosecuted someone for a lethal take," Chuck Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the newspaper.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Orlando accused Miata in October of violating the Endangered Species Act. The manatee was killed as Miata sped through Sykes Creek last summer. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Baker sentenced Miata to one year of federal probation. He must forfeit the boat - a 1987 Mach 1 by Freedom Boats - that he was operating when he hit the manatee.

[Instigator]

More.........
Here is a link to the Florida Today newspaper (that I get) story. This is the local paper from where the manatee was killed.
Story was on top/center of front page of my morning paper!
Interesting though after re-reading it that this happened back in July after someone ""witnessed" him hitting the manatee and not stopping. This happened in the evening after which water patrol found/caught him (that night) after matching the description of the boat. They did not find the manatee until the following day though. Could a good attorney argue that being the actual manatee??
Regardless, the guy plead guilty and also got a $100K fine!
If you want to see the beggining of the out cry from the activists read the comments attached to this story! Was 86 of them a minute ago and am sure it'll grow for days!

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110203/NEWS01/102030311/Merritt-Island-man-gets-probation-loses-boat-for-killing-manatee

[Capt.Insane-o]

We should group up and buy his boat back at the auction for him, along with a nice sharp new propeller.

[euro scott]

I think the big part of the story is it set's a precedence, In my dealings with any court decision's as long as there was a precedence set, it's a free shot for imposing a penalty ! Since when does a misdemeanor for a victomless crime deserve a level of punishment that this rises too. Are we saying that a certain type of animal death whether by accident or misfortune has more merit than say your family pet has,, thats my point in posting... The Manatee is not a native species, it's only still classified as endangered for political reasons.. Manatee zones are everywhere, until they can put a collar on them with an audible warning system that activates their location, anybody could hit them in a speed zone or not, it's the luck of the draw for both...Somedays your the Manatee, other day's your the prop.....................

[Mr. Demeanor]

I guarantee that my boats propeller poses a lot more danger to a sea cow at 25mph than it does at 50mph when its barley in the water. I have never understood how the 25mph zones protect these animals.

[FlatSleek]

Thought you guys might like this pic, it's from the Weeki Wachee river here on the central west coast of Florida. the tree huggers would probably like to burn his house down.

[XstreamVking]

Manatees are not on the endangered species list no mo. They are now classified as a species of concern........Never were endangered. Their numbers have risen steadily, even with the recent cold water related deaths....

[Instigator]

I think the big part of the story is it set's a precedence, In my dealings with any court decision's as long as there was a precedence set, it's a free shot for imposing a penalty ! Since when does a misdemeanor for a victomless crime deserve a level of punishment that this rises too. The Manatee is not a native species, .
Very well said and 100% agreed.

[Tom Foley]

Unreal.....If it were my ratbag neighbor that ratted me out on this bs charge his life would never be the same ...Total BS.

[keomotorsports]

I nailed one in the early 90,s . I think I was 14 in my Dolphin back country skiff. That fat slob damn near killed me almost pitched me out.. This was in lower matecumbe in the Keyes.. Long before every channel near land was a manatee zone.. Kinda felt bad but I wasent doing anything wrong.

[Mark Poole ModVP]

I used to work with a cuban when I lived in Florida. He has eaten manatee a long time ago, said it is great fried! They are eaten regularly in Cuba and South America. Save the Manatee Club is nothing but a $$$ thing. They get donations from stupid people and blessings from the marine patrol and state game to propose whatever they want.

[Da Bull]

What if ya`ll had a sudden infest of large agressive sharks? Lets say they just showed up in response to the Manatee numbers. I`ll bet the cause for human concern would outweigh the manatee`s. Are there any sharks around Florida? Are they close enough to notice the slow moving meal?

I`ve never been to Florida so i was just wondering.

DB

[Viper GTs]

We have a policy on the CT River...If you hit a Pumpkin Seed you lose your boat!!!! Al

[native2]

We have a policy on the CT River...If you hit a Pumpkin Seed you lose your boat!!!! Al

Not to sound stupid, but what the hell is a pumpkin seed????

[Jim Gibbs]

a sunny. what us folks of the southern persuation would call a bream.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Lepomis_gibbosus.jpg/220px-Lepomis_gibbosus.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lepomis_gibbosus.jpg)

[Viper GTs]

a sunny What's that????

[afr]

he needs to appeal the decision and the judge needs to be investigated as a tree huger he is that influenced his decision thats kinda like three strike rule or something
i would have to know a lot more about it before i could wrap my brain around that
for all we know his other tickets may have been years back
how are and who keeps boating tickets ion what data base and how long are they kept etc
if you get caught speeding in your car then within the three years you hit a panther or something
you loose your car
like everyone said there if this goes through it will set a precedence for more harassment and cause more boaters to sell there boat then the speed limits did already
IMO we all should get together and start a class action suit for the business that the speed limit zones all ready cost us

[Mr. Demeanor]

Funny you should mention Panther. In 2009, 19 of them were killed by motorists which is a huge percentage of their population and I never saw one mention of it on the news.

[afr]

Funny you should mention Panther. In 2009, 19 of them were killed by motorists which is a huge percentage of their population and I never saw one mention of it on the news.
it was the first endangered species i could think of and we had one hit down here just a while back
either way this story has a lot more information then what was writing in that article we would have to have the courts manuscripts to really find out whats the deal here a judge is pose to be neutral in his decision making this is clearly an abuse of power
if its even true what do we even know about the reporter even

[Sheer Insanity]

Funny you should mention Panther. In 2009, 19 of them were killed by motorists which is a huge percentage of their population and I never saw one mention of it on the news.

Did anyone have there car taken cause they where speeding??

[Instigator]

What if ya`ll had a sudden infest of large agressive sharks?
Problems is the manatee's are in the rivers and Intracoastal and sharks are in the Atlantic.

The save the manatee club is a sham full of rich movie/musician stars and rich hypocrites. Most of the stars are up north and have no clue what's really going on down here they just want to jump on the green/tree hugger band wagon cuz thats what they see on TV.
The hypocrites have house down here on the water and want no wake zones in their back yard. Easiest way to do that is by "spotting" manatees in the area and reporting it to all that will listen.

I used to wear shirt while visiting up north that had an imagine of a manatee roasting on a spit and the phrase saying, "the other white meat". Use to wear it as an experiment to see what would happen. Got questioned about it in every bar I ever wore it in! Was always polite and explained the reality to the situation down here and it's effect to those that live/work/vacation here and the 2nd and 3rd generation families of fisherman put out of business because of it. 100% of the people I did this experiment with cared nothing for the effect on the people and ALWAYS ended w/a smart ass comment about the sacks of fat being the most important.
Pathetic!

[Instigator]

BTW. we do have some sharks in the area. Recent video off Palm Beach ;)

http://www.fort-lauderdale-marine-directory.com/news/o/24594.php

[JR IN JAX]

Why are all of the manatee zones in front of rich/politically connected people's homes, just like Astor? Are the manatees attracted to lots of green cash? Why are there manatee zones in the north St Johns during the winter when a manatee can't survive water colder than 68* and the water after October is 60* or below?
Why would a boater pay for and album or a ticket to a Jimmy Buffet concert, when he is the one who started all of this and has made millions from his Save-The-Manatee-Club that refuses to be audited by the Better Business Bureau, like they do on all other non-profits?....

[Tom D.]

Do these things put up a fight? I mean the manatees? Maybe some night time fishing with spinich leafs and treble hooks are in order. Sounds like fun to me, I don't know?:)

[2 De River]

The S&F community is large maybe someone should start a petition to have this judge investigated possible ties to the Save The Manatee group, I'm not a Fl. Resident but maybe some of the Fl. Residents need to contact their State Representatives & Senators about this stuff happening that's what they are elected to do. Who knows if the performance boaters start pitching a fit as a group things might be treated differently? S&F is world wide, performance boaters are world wide, the Manatee problem is in one state, a group of people started this mess so why not organise a group to see if it can be changed. Kind of like playing Cowboys & Indians! Of course I'm just a radical old man with some different opinions, so maybe I'm totally off base here. What I don't understand here if these things swim underwater and you can't see it how can you be held responsible for hitting it? I could understand if you went underwater and located it and killed it you would be responsible, does the word ACCIDENTAL ever fit here? Are they gonna confincate cruise ships if they hit one? Maybe if the performance boaters & bass fishermen would start boycotting lakes, cities, motels, etc. in these areas the owners of these businesses would see the loss of revenue & join the protest. I'm glad we don't have them in the Chattahoochee, the Gators would be huge. Happy & Safe Boating! Jimmy

[oldschoolltv]

I say this everytime this comes up, speed 5mph over in a school zone and speed 5mph in a mantee zone and see which one gets you in more trouble, Matt

[keomotorsports]

I made a good living long line shark fishing in FL.. There are PLENTY of sharks..But I never cut one open and found a manate.
What if ya`ll had a sudden infest of large agressive sharks? Lets say they just showed up in response to the Manatee numbers. I`ll bet the cause for human concern would outweigh the manatee`s. Are there any sharks around Florida? Are they close enough to notice the slow moving meal?

I`ve never been to Florida so i was just wondering.

DB

[JR IN JAX]

The S&F community is large maybe someone should start a petition to have this judge investigated possible ties to the Save The Manatee group, I'm not a Fl. Resident but maybe some of the Fl. Residents need to contact their State Representatives & Senators about this stuff happening that's what they are elected to do. Who knows if the performance boaters start pitching a fit as a group things might be treated differently? S&F is world wide, performance boaters are world wide, the Manatee problem is in one state, a group of people started this mess so why not organise a group to see if it can be changed. Kind of like playing Cowboys & Indians! Of course I'm just a radical old man with some different opinions, so maybe I'm totally off base here. What I don't understand here if these things swim underwater and you can't see it how can you be held responsible for hitting it? I could understand if you went underwater and located it and killed it you would be responsible, does the word ACCIDENTAL ever fit here? Are they gonna confincate cruise ships if they hit one? Maybe if the performance boaters & bass fishermen would start boycotting lakes, cities, motels, etc. in these areas the owners of these businesses would see the loss of revenue & join the protest. I'm glad we don't have them in the Chattahoochee, the Gators would be huge. Happy & Safe Boating! Jimmy
Almost all of the people driving the manatee laws are not from Florida. Most of them were with Blue Water Network and Sierra Club. The people who were driving the Endangered Species Act [sub-species of West Indian Manatee] back in the 70's were all from Canada and the "Left Coast".

Then Jimmy Buffet joined with them to start Save-The-Manatee-Club and found Clinton appointees to pump money into their pockets and the local marine Law Enforcement organizations to get their support.

The expanded manatee zones came about when the Sierra Club/Blue Water Network sued the Clinton Adminitration's Fish, widlife and Game Comission [it was the perfect setup] in the most liberal Washington DC's Federal Judge's court. The FWGC NEVER EVEN SHOWED UP ON THE COURT DATE, so they were held "In Default" and the Liberal judge was more than happy to give them all of the manatee speed zones they were asking for.

This is what America deserves for putting "Dog Squeeze" like Clinton in office.

There are manatees in EVERY river in Florida, including Apalachicola. You just don't have the clear water to see them and politically-connected people wanting to keep down the noise and wakes behind their homes/docks.

All of the Gulf states and Georgia have manatees in all of their rivers during the summer, you just can't see them in the dark water.

The manatees have already destroyed Florida's marine industry and the FWGC admitted the last increase in manatee zones would have a 300 million dollar impact on the marine industry 10 YEARS AGO. A boycot would be like beating a corpse.

[2 De River]

Almost all of the people driving the manatee laws are not from Florida. Most of them were with Blue Water Network and Sierra Club. The people who were driving the Endangered Species Act [sub-species of West Indian Manatee] back in the 70's were all from Canada and the "Left Coast".

Then Jimmy Buffet joined with them to start Save-The-Manatee-Club and found Clinton appointees to pump money into their pockets and the local marine Law Enforcement organizations to get their support.

The expanded manatee zones came about when the Sierra Club/Blue Water Network sued the Clinton Adminitration's Fish, widlife and Game Comission [it was the perfect setup] in the most liberal Washington DC's Federal Judge's court. The FWGC NEVER EVEN SHOWED UP ON THE COURT DATE, so they were held "In Default" and the Liberal judge was more than happy to give them all of the manatee speed zones they were asking for.

This is what America deserves for putting "Dog Squeeze" like Clinton in office.

There are manatees in EVERY river in Florida, including Apalachicola. You just don't have the clear water to see them and politically-connected people wanting to keep down the noise and wakes behind their homes/docks.

All of the Gulf states and Georgia have manatees in all of their rivers during the summer, you just can't see them in the dark water.

The manatees have already destroyed Florida's marine industry and the FWGC admitted the last increase in manatee zones would have a 300 million dollar impact on the marine industry 10 YEARS AGO. A boycot would be like beating a corpse.
Now I know why I don't care to be a Parrot Head! If they ARE in our area then they must be the more intelligent species than the Fl. ones, (they know when to duck) if a group of people was able to get this sh-----t started then why can't another group protest against it and MAYBE get some things changed instead of just complaining about it. I still can't understand how a boater can be help responsible for hitting one if it is not visible. The judge needs to be investigated, a complaint needs to be filed on him with the state judicial system. Performance Boaters need to fight back, be heard if not they are gonna be put out of business. Florida has always pushed tourism, now people are reluctant to come to Florida boating because of the DNR boating laws.

[WATERWINGS]

Click the link and read the comments starting on this brand new story. .


WHAT? this wasn't even a "fast boat".....where did that comment come from? (the quote below)

What did he do that made him from "the speed boating world" ?

"The last two responses about the unnecessary killing of this manatee just reinforce the perception so many of the non-boating public have about so many boaters, especially those in the speed boating world."

[Mr. Demeanor]

I hate to say it but I am amazed they have never been able to legislate a propeller guard law.

[JR IN JAX]

I hate to say it but I am amazed they have never been able to legislate a propeller guard law.
The prop guards might stop the manatee injuries and then the Marine Patrols can't cruise the rivers all day and get their budgets cut.

[gmacrae]

this law sounds like total bull**** to me. I like the argument about the 5mph school zone vs the 5mph manatee zone above. Let them be fished (humanely), even if they're only good for dog food, who cares? at least there will be a few more jobs up for grabs and the out of control population will be cut back.

[JR IN JAX]

I warned my boss about this since he has two manatee citations aready [his dock is in a manatee zone]. He is the most squeaky-clean law-abiding person there is but both times the marine patrols claimed he was slightly faster than an idle speed. I have two citations also, one from the marine patrol claiming the bridge in the middle of the river was classified as the "Shore" and that put me within 300' of the shore, making it an idle-speed zone. The other was I accelerated after passing through a bridge with a "300' manatee zone". The marine patrol said I did not wait the entire 300' and I asked how he measured it.....I got the ticket anyway, even though I was well beyond the 300'....It is a scam to shut down power-boating so the Kayakers from up North won't have to deal with our boatwakes. The Marine patrol and the manatee clubs look at us as a "cash-cow".

[Tom D.]

Troll large treble hooks with spinich leaves. Those sombitches gota put up a good fight. CATCH AND RELEASE BABY!!!!!:D FISH-ON!!!!!!! YeeeHAWWW!!!

[Action Dave]

The average manatee grows up to and over 10 feet long and 1200 lbs. This eliminates all but the biggest sharks from being able to eat them. Also, you'd better have one hell of a rod and reel to bring in a manatee. lol. They are quite common in the canals around here, especially in winter when the open waters get too cold for them. I don't particularly hate manatees per say, I hate the legislators that pass the laws that put marinas and boat yards out of business. I live in Fort Lauderdale which has more boat-able waterways than anywhere else in the US. I never boat here because it is all manatee zones. I used to live on a canal that would lead to the intercoastal. It is about a five minute car ride from my old house to the intercoastal. It took an hour of idling to reach it by boat. Once you reach the ICW, it is all no wake untill you reach the ocean. As much as I'd like to take my Action out in the Atlantic, I'd prefer not to have to idle for miles just to get beat up in the ocean.

[warren]

Only u scott would put up only half of the story habitual offender it said and have people try to think from your point of view u drunk drive 2 times #3its on state the whole story before u state its on

[mickeyjr]

I hate to say it but I am amazed they have never been able to legislate a propeller guard law.

Over the years there have been a variety of proposed devices that could possibly reduce the number of incidents between boats and manatees but the Save the Manatee folks will fight against any such device because it derails their real agenda.

They don't want a solution because "their cause" generates many millions of dollars annually.

[mickeyjr]

The average manatee grows up to and over 10 feet long and 1200 lbs. This eliminates all but the biggest sharks from being able to eat them. Also, you'd better have one hell of a rod and reel to bring in a manatee. lol. They are quite common in the canals around here, especially in winter when the open waters get too cold for them. I don't particularly hate manatees per say, I hate the legislators that pass the laws that put marinas and boat yards out of business. I live in Fort Lauderdale which has more boat-able waterways than anywhere else in the US. I never boat here because it is all manatee zones. I used to live on a canal that would lead to the intercoastal. It is about a five minute car ride from my old house to the intercoastal. It took an hour of idling to reach it by boat. Once you reach the ICW, it is all no wake untill you reach the ocean. As much as I'd like to take my Action out in the Atlantic, I'd prefer not to have to idle for miles just to get beat up in the ocean.


They would classify that as a "manatee success story".

JR, you may know something I don't know, but I've been boating, fishing, and swimming in the Apalachicola River from Wewahitchka to Apalachicola Bay my entire life and have never seen a manatee.