Manatee migration: Time to move on

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. --  Local manatee sightings cause a ripple of sensation through the community. People love seeing these gentle sea giants cruise around docks or in waterways and often want to try to connect with them.

They shouldn't, though.

“We want positive interactions but it isn’t a good idea to feed or water them,” said Dr. Ann Pabst, a marine biologist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). “It’s best to let them be.”

Manatees, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes called sea cows that are considered threatened by federal regulators, are regular visitors to this area from May to October. They will travel along the ocean or Intracoastal Waterway from Florida into our area.

But come fall, they should be migrating south.

For many years, UNCW was kept track of manatee sightings, but that is now the responsibility of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. From her office at the N.C. State University Center for Marine Sciences in Morehead City, Vicky Thayer notes calls, emails and photos of manatees in local waters.

Since May, there have been five manatee sightings in Southeastern North Carolina, she said.

“It could be five animals or the same animal being reported multiple times," Thayer said.

Maybe that was the manatee seen earlier this month at Hampstead Marina. A photo has been circulating on social media. Marina owner Joyce Wooten said her employee spotted it and gave it fresh water.

Unfortunately, interactions like that -- feeding, watering, or petting -- can interfere with a manatee’s natural cues to start moving south.

An adult manatee can grow to 10 feet long and weigh more than 800 pounds. They can regulate their body temperature in warm water but have a difficult time when water temperatures get below 68 degrees. Deaths have occurred when the animals stay in the area too long, Pabst said.

“Essentially, they begin to have the physiological changes we associate with frostbite,” she said. “They have to leave. And usually do, unless we interfere and make this a good place for them to stay.”

The general advice is to appreciate manatees from a distance.

“It is not legal or helpful to give manatees water or food or try to touch or swim with them,” Thayer said.

A recent study conducted in conjunction with UNCW, looked at manatee sightings in North Carolina and Virginia from 1991 to 2014. During some years, more than 30 sightings have been reported. Thayer said manatees have been seen in Surf City, Topsail, Southport, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Sneads Ferry, Holden Beach, and Shallotte in recent years.

Wooten said she hasn’t seen the manatee again, so it’s hopeful that the southward migration for that particular sea cow is underway.

Allison Ballard can be reached at 910-343-2075 or aballard@gatehousemedia.com.

If you see a manatee:

• Don’t feed, pet or give water to the manatee. These actions may interfere with its natural instincts.
• Do Report sightings and take photos, if possible. You can text sightings to 252-241-5119 or email vgthayer@gmail.com. You can also call UNCW’s marine mammal stranding program at 910-962-7266.