Researchers now know the specific identity and travel history of three manatees captured and tagged in Mobile Bay, Alabama earlier this month. Over the course of two days, August 11-12, researchers with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Mobile Manatees Sighting Network (MMSN) tagged three male manatees, each weighing between 1,000-1,500 lbs. Photographs of the manatees’ distinct features were submitted to the Manatee Individual Photoidentification System (MIPS), which is operated by the United States Geological Survey in Florida.

Unique scar patterns, typically from past encounters with boats, allowed researchers to confirm that all three manatees tagged this year are from the Florida subpopulation and at least one is a previous visitor to Mobile Bay. Two of the manatees are previously known from Crystal River and one is known from Homosassa River in Florida. One of the Crystal River manatees, known as “Zewie,” has a sighting history dating back to November 1987 when he was first spotted as a calf! He was spotted again as part of a mating herd in Mobile Bay in June 2009, and dubbed “Zewie” after local radio personalities at 92ZEW began taking an interest in him on air.

Researchers are keeping a close eye on the movement patterns of Zewie and the other two manatees tagged in Alabama this year as part of their ongoing study of manatee habitat and population status in the northern Gulf. This year, however, researchers are also interested in how manatee movements may be affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Bama and Bumpy, MMSN’s first two tagged manatees, continue to be tracked in the waters between Alabama and Florida. Bama slipped off her satellite tracking float in mid-July. “That’s exactly what it’s supposed to do,” said MMSN Director Dr. Ruth Carmichael. “These devices are designed to track the animal without inhibiting natural behavior, meaning they can pull them off if needed.

“Since Bama has been tagged for nearly a year, we will not re-tag her. Instead, we will track her opportunistically using a special acoustic monitor in her belt and let her enjoy relative retirement from science,” added Dr. Carmichael. Meanwhile, Bumpy, who retains his tag, finally left Apalachicola Bay and headed toward Alabama, but stopped at Port St. Joseph and returned to Apalachicola Bay.

Researchers are dependent on public sightings to help in their quest to track the behaviors of these gentle mammals. Please report your sightings to the MMSN at 866-493-5803 or e-mail manatee@disl.org. For more information on MMSN, visit manatee.disl.org.