Charlotte County 1987-1988 Manatee Distribution Survey Observations
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Aerial distributional surveys are used by marine mammal biologists from FWC and other agencies to determine the seasonal distribution of manatees. Most surveys are done from small, four-seat, high-winged airplanes (Cessna 172 or 182) flying at a height of 500-1000 ft at a speed of 70-90 kts. Small helicopters may be used instead of fixed wing aircraft in urban areas or where waters are particularly opaque and hovering may be required. Flights are usually 4–6 hours long, and are most commonly flown every two weeks for two years. The surveys are designed to maximize the manatee counts by concentrating on shallow nearshore waters where manatees and their primary food source, seagrasses, are located. Flight paths curve along parallel to the shoreline, and the airplane circles when manatees are spotted until a count of the number of animals in each group is obtained. Offshore waters are usually not surveyed. Dolphin and sea turtle sightings are recorded opportunistically. All aerial data are recorded on paper maps and entered into a GIS shapefile for spatial analysis. GIS is a computer software system for representing data spatially and for conducting spatial analyses. Surveys of Charlotte County were flown twice a month from January 1987 to December 1998. FWC staff members were observers for these flights. The survey areas includes the coastal waters of Charlotte County and small adjacent sections Lee, Sarasota and deSoto Counties. Major water bodies included Charlotte Harbor, Myakka River, Peace River, Bull Bay, Turtle Bay and lower Gasparilla Sound. Many undeveloped areas under state or federal management are part of the study area.
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