Fishing Guide Dials 911 for Entangled Manatee, Leading to Rescue While Calf Watches

A manatee is swimming free again thanks to a fishing guide who reported the animal tangled in crab trap lines, and the Georgia and Florida wildlife experts who raced to the scene.

The drama played out over two days last week on the Mackay and Hampton rivers off St. Simons Island.

Though often unnoticed in turbid coastal waters, Florida manatees are 1,000-pound-plus, federally protected marine mammals that migrate from Florida into Georgia and the Carolinas each spring—into early fall—to feed on abundant marsh plants and algae.

On July 29, Capt. Davis Galland got the call about an entangled manatee in Georgia, and described it as “the first time” such a thing has ever been reported in the state.

An adult female was wrapped tightly in the line and buoy from a commercial crab pot, reports wildlife biologist Jessica Thompson, who leads the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Marine Mammal Program.

A three-boat, multi-state team set out to the site and completely freed the manatee, cutting away the anchoring crab trap before a storm “chased” them off the water.

“It wasn’t easy,” according to the Georgia DNR.The plan was to pull the manatee onto Florida FWC’s manatee rescue boat using a specialized net so she could be assessed and all gear removed—but two smaller manatees remained too close for this approach.

By early afternoon, the team manually removed the buoy and remaining line, which was beginning to cut into the manatee’s skin.

Jessica said the successful effort involved skills learned in disentangling dolphins and North Atlantic right whales from commercial fishing gear.

The group, which included the DNR, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and two other rescue groups, also managed to attach a satellite tracking tag on the manatee.

“Because of this impressive team response, this female manatee and what appeared to be a dependent calf, have a chance to thrive and contribute to the wild population for years to come,” said Terri Calleson, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Florida Manatee Recovery Lead.

“This successful outcome reflects what can be accomplished when organizations come together with a shared commitment to protecting marine wildlife,” said Monica Ross, director of Manatee Research and Conservation at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute.

“Manatee rescues truly ‘take a village’ whether rendering emergency aid or working collaboratively toward species recovery,” said Calleson (see video).

“Each partner contributed something essential, and USFWS was proud to lend our knowledge and support to the collective effort.”

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