Warm weather has arrived and with it has come this area’s regular seasonal residents, the West Indian manatee.  The Mobile Manatees Sighting Network (MMSN), based at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), needs your help to conduct vital research on these endangered mammals. 
You can help by reporting any and all manatee sightings to the DISL research team.  There are three methods by which to report your sighting information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:  phone (1-866-93-5803), email (manatee@disl.org), or online sighting form (manatee.disl.org).  The MMSN encourages manatee spotters to report their sightings as soon as possible and to contact them with any questions or for additional information.
DISL researchers remained busy throughout winter 2009, with manatee sightings in Mobile Bay and Steele Creek in Satsuma, but this spring has been quiet, with fewer than expected reports.  As bay waters warm up, we expect to see more manatees in Mobile Bay and nearby waters. 
“Our primary goal this time of year is to remind people that manatees are here and that the sighting network is active.  We really depend on the public to report every sighting, any time, as soon as possible,” states DISL Senior Marine Scientist Dr. Ruth Carmichael.
What you can do to assist our research and help protect manatees in Alabama & surrounding waters:

• Report any manatee sightings to Mobile Manatees via our website http://manatee.disl.org, toll free number, 1-866-493-5803, or email, manatee@disl.org

• Spread the word. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues to report manatee sightings to Mobile Manatees.

• Give manatees space. Do not do anything to alter manatees' natural behavior. Do not entice, chase, feed, or touch them. The best rule of thumb is to stay at least 100 feet from manatees. According to federal law any activity that changes manatees' natural behavior is harassment and is illegal.

• Boat with caution. Boat strikes are the leading cause of human-related mortality among manatees.

• Purchase a Mobile Manatees Distinctive License Plate.  Ask for it at your local DMV or contact MMSN to pre-commit to purchase a plate.  The cost is tax deductible and proceeds benefit the Mobile Manatees research program.

• Purchase a Manatee-shirt. Contact the DISL Estuarium gift shop to buy a Mobile Mana-tee shirt. All proceeds go to support Mobile Manatees outreach program.

The Mobile Manatees program focuses on defining where manatees live and what they eat while visiting Mobile Bay and surrounding waters. The program is also dedicated to sharing data with other researchers, managers, and the public.

In 2007, DISL and Wildlife Trust (WT) in Florida started the MMSN, the first formal network to receive and track manatee sightings in AL waters. The program successfully processed more than 100 sightings in both 2007 and 2008 (in contrast, only 159 sightings were recorded for the area in the entire 20 years prior). Additionally, the program has serendipitously served as a contact for sightings from other states such as MS, FL, NC, and GA.