News Release from The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

On Friday, 4 Sep 2009, Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Mobile Manatees Sighting Network (MMSN) successfully tagged a manatee in Alabama waters, the first for the state.  This first Alabama capture, a female manatee weighing over 1,000 pounds, has been dubbed “Bama.” 

The capture and tagging effort was a collaboration among DISL, SeaWorld Orlando, Wildlife Trust Florida, US Fish and Wildlife Service Alabama Field Office, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Sea to Shore Alliance. 

The two-day capture effort, which started on Friday morning, resulted in the successful tagging of two Alabama manatees, the female Bama and one male.  The crew also captured a large female, named Ellie, who is known to be from Crystal River, Florida.  Ellie was first identified as a visitor to Mobile Bay, Alabama in 2007 from photographs sent to the Mobile Manatees Sighting Network. 

“It was very informative to find Ellie again and learn that she apparently travels between Mobile Bay and Crystal River, Florida, with some repetition,” said Dr. Ruth Carmichael, Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Founder of the Mobile Manatees Sighting Network.  
Researchers worked together smoothly and quickly to capture the animals and take the needed information about size and health before fitting the new tags.   The specially designed tags will allow each manatee to be tracked continuously by satellite and radio telemetry.  Each captured manatee weighed over 1000 lbs, with Ellie alone topping the scale at over 1600 pounds.

 “It is a very powerful feeling to take a collaborative project like this one from a concept to reality.  This is a real pioneering effort for manatee research in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  I am very grateful to everyone who helped us make it happen,” stated Dr. Carmichael.

The West Indian manatee is federally protected and the northern Gulf of Mexico is thought to be fringe habitat for these manatees.  Data from this research will be used to help manage and conserve manatees in Alabama and other fringe areas.

“Historically, this is the first time we’ve ever tagged manatees in the state of Alabama,” said USFWS biologist Dianne Ingram.  “Our goal is to study their travel routes and get data on where they spend time in Alabama.  Knowing this will help us learn about their migration patterns and habitat to aid in their recovery,” said Ingram.

MMSN asks the public to observe the animals and report any sightings as soon as possible.  A float is attached to the tag, which can be spotted when the animal is near the surface.  If you see a tagged animal, do not try to lift, remove, or touch the tag.  The tags are constructed to break away if an animal becomes entangled.  Federal law prohibits interfering with the manatee’s behavior, or harassing them in any way.  The best rule is to stay at least 100 feet away and report the sighting to authorities at MMSN, 1-866-493-5803.

If you would like to support this study and other manatee research in Alabama, please commit to purchase a distinctive license plate.  For more information visit  http://manatee.disl.org