FOR MY HONEY, SUNSHINE. >> THAT’S A GOOD GIFT. >> AND THE COOLER
TEMPERATURES.
>> WE LIKE THAT.
>> THE MIAMI INTERNATIONAL
BOAT SHOW IS BACK NEXT WEEK,
BRINGING WITH IT CONTROVERSY
OVER THE STAGING OF THE SEA
TRIALS OVER A PROTECTED
MANATEE HABITAT IN BISCAYNE
BAY.
>> THESE GENTLE SEA COWS
CONTINUE TO DIE IN RECORD
NUMBERS ACROSS THE STATEMENT
BOAT SHOW ORGANIZERS SAY
THEY’RE STEPPING UP TO MAKE
SURE NONE ARE HARMED DURING
THEIR EVENT.
THE FIGHT TO SAVE OUR MANATEES
IS TONIGHT’S DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE.
>> THEY’RE IN A CRITICAL ZONE.
THEY’RE IN A MANATEE
PROTECTION ZONE.
>> THIS ECO ACTIVIST IS
WORRIED.
I
WORRIED. I IT’S DAYS BEFORE THE MIAMI
INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW.
AS THEY’VE DONE HISTORICALLY
FOR YEARS, MANATEES HAVE COME
BACK TO THIS SECTION OF
BISCAYNE BAY ALONG THE
VENETIAN CAUSEWAY LOOKING FOR
FOOD.
>> THIS IS ONE OF THE ONLY
PLACES LEFT WITH SEA GRASS IN
THE AREA WHERE MANATEES MUNCH
ALL DAY, HAVE THEIR BABIES.
>> AND IT’S HERE WHERE ONCE
AGAIN THE BOAT SHOW WILL HOST
ITS SEA TRIALS, TEST DRIVES ON
THE WATER STAGED ON FLOATING
DOCKS FOR 100 TEMPORARY SLIPS
OVER WHAT IS ESSENTIAL MANATEE
HABITAT.
>> IT’S NO SECRET, THIS AREA
IS NOT WHERE WE WOULD WANT SEA
TRIALS.
>> HE’S THE INTERIM DIRECTOR
OF MIAMI-DADE’S DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT.
HE LOUDLY OBJECTED WHEN COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS ALLOWED THE BOAT
SHOW TO HOST THE SEA TRIALS
HERE LAST YEAR.
>> HOW CONCERNED ARE WE, WE’RE
VERY CONCERNED.
WE DON’T WANT TO SEE ANY
INJURIES TO MANATEES.
WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE ANY
FATALITIES.
FATALITIES. >> DESPITE THE SAME
OBJECTIONS, LAST NOVEMBER, COMMISSIONERS APPROVED THE SEA
TRIALS UNLESS A MANATEE IS
INJURED OR KILLED DURING THE
EVENT, IN WHICH CASE THE
PERMIT WOULD GO BACK IN FRONT
OF THE COMMISSION.
>> THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB
LAST YEAR TO MAKE SURE OUR
MANATEES WERE PROTECTED.
>> THE COUNTY REPORT SHOWS
APPROXIMATELY 16-34 MANATEES
WERE OBSERVED DURING THE SEA
TRIALS.
DESPITE WARNINGS TO STOP ALL
ACTIVITY ON THE WATER, MANY
CAPTAINS DID NOT, UNAWARE OF
THE ALERTS THERE WERE MANATEES
IN THE AREA.
>> IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
EXECUTION.
SO A LOT OF THIS IS GONNA HAVE
TO DO WITH HOW THEY ACTUALLY
EXECUTE DURING THE EVENT.
>> BOAT SHOW ORGANIZERS
RESPONDED THIS YEAR BY
REDUCING THE NUMBER OF SLIPS
BY 50 AND REENFORCING THEIR
MANATEE PROTECTION PLAN.
THERE WILL NOW BE A MANATEE
SPOTTER ON ALL VESSELS, MORE
SPOTTERS ON THE DOCKS AND
BRIDGES AND THE DRONES IN THE
SKY WILL BE BACK.
>> THAT GIVES US A FULL 360
DEGREE VISIBLE FROM
EVERYWHERE.
>> BOAT SHOW PRODUCERS SAY
THEY’VE ENHANCED THE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM TO MAKE
SURE EVERYONE STAYS INFORMED.
>> WE COMMUNICATE CONSTANTLY
ABOUT THE ACTIVITY IN THE
AREA.
IF A MANATEE IS SPOTTED
ANYWHERE WITHIN THE DOCKS OR
WITHIN A BOAT, A MESSAGE IS
RELAYED TO ALL THE BOAT
CAPTAINS, WE’LL CEASE
OPERATION.
>> IF A MANATEE IS SPOTTED
WITHIN 50 FEET OF THIS SEA
TRIAL AREA, ALL ACTIVITY ON
THE WATER MUST STOP
IMMEDIATELY UNTIL THAT MANATEE
IS 50 FEET AWAY FROM THE
STAGING AREA OR UNTIL A HALF
HOUR HAS PASSED AND THAT
MANATEE CANNOT BE SEEN
ANYMORE.
VERY IMPORTANT, THAT MANATEE
CANNOT BE HARASSED OR SHOO’D
AWAY BY ANY OF THE VENDORS OR
BOAT OPERATORS.
ANYONE WHO VIOLATES THAT WILL
HAVE THEIR SEA TRIAL PERMIT
PULLED FOR THE REST OF THE
SHOW.
>> IT’S GONNA BE JAM PACKED
FULL OF BOAT TRAFFIC.
>> ALL THE NOISE AND ACTIVITY
POTENTIALLY SCARING AWAY
HUNGRY MANATEES.
>> THE MANATEES FEEDING,
NURSING, THEY’RE GOING TO GO
AWAY FROM NOISE.
THEY’LL WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE
ELSE.
>> BUT THERE ARE LITTLE
OPTIONS FOR A HUNGRY MANATEE
IN THE NORTHERN BASIN WHERE
93% OF ALL SEA GRASS IS GONE
BECAUSE OF POLLUTION.
>> IT’S STILL A VERY DIFFICULT
SITUATION FOR THE MANATEES.
>> IT HAS BEEN A DEVASTATING
TWO YEARS FOR FLORIDA
MANATEES.
2021, THE DEADLIEST ON RECORD.
MORE THAN 1100 DIED.
LAST YEAR WE LOST 800.
MOST OF THEM STARVING TO DEATH
BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE LOSS OF
SEA GRASS ACROSS OUR STATE.
SO FAR THIS YEAR, WE’VE LOST
67.
BOAT SHOW ORGANIZERS SAY THEY
KNOW HOW CRITICAL IT IS THEY
GET THIS RIGHT.
>> WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN
OUR POWER TO PROTECT THE
NATURAL RESOURCES BECAUSE OUR
INDUSTRY DEPENDS ON THE WATER.
>> ACTIVISTS SAY THEY’LL BE
WATCHING OVER THEM TO MAKE
SURE THEY DO.
>> WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS HOW
THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW IS GOING
TO MAKE BISCAYNE BAY BETTER
THAN WHEN THEY FOUND IT.
>> TO SHOW THEIR COMMITMENT TO
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT,
BOAT SHOW ORGANIZERS PLEDGE TO
GO PLASTIC FREE THIS YEAR WITH
ALL FOOD AND DRINK VENDORS NOW
ONLY OFFERING SUSTAINABLE
SERVICE ITEMS.
U.S. FISH AND WILD LIFE AGENTS
WILL BE ON THE WATER DURING
THOSE SEA TRIALS TO LOOK OUT
FOR MANATEES.
ACTIVISTS ARE ENCOURAGING
RESIDENTS TO BE VIGILANT AND
REPORT ANY MANATEES THEY SEE
NEAR THE SEA TRIAL AREA.
WE HAVE A LINK TO THAT AS WELL
AS THE BOAT SHOW’S FULL
MANATEE PROTECTION PLAN AND
SEA TRIAL ROUTE.
SCAN THAT QR CODE, IT WILL
TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO TONIGHT’S
DON’T TRASH OUR TREASURE
SECTION ON Local10.com.
OBVIOUSLY NOT THE IDEAL PLACE,
BUT THE BOAT SHOW IS DOING
WHAT THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE
THOSE MANATEES ARE PROTECTED.