St. Lucie & Martin counties 1990-1993 Manatee Distribution Survey Observations
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Aerial distribution surveys are used by marine mammal biologists from FWC and other agencies to determine the seasonal distribution of manatees. Most surveys are conducted 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 7 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 around the state where manatees and their primary food source, sea grasses, are located. Flight paths curve 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 St. Lucie/Martin County were flown twice a month from November 5, 1990 to June 22, 1993. FWC staff members were observers for these flights. The survey area extends from northern St. Lucie County south through Martin County to northern Palm Beach County. In St. Lucie, the area began just south of the Indian river County line, covered Ft. Pierce Inlet and Ft. Pierce Power Plant and extended southward through the Indian River Lagoon and Intracoastal Waterway. In Martin County, the area extended southward including St. Lucie Inlet and St. Lucie River (both the North and South forks) and Hope and Jupiter sounds, ending at the Jupiter Inlet in northern Palm Beach County.
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