Marine Life & Conservation
Celebrate International Manatee Day by helping Manatees near and far
Help manatees near and far on Tuesday, September 7th, International Manatee Day. Save the Manatee Club, the world’s leading manatee conservation organization, encourages boaters, homeowners, and caring manatee lovers to play a role in protecting manatees and their aquatic habitat.
At this time of year, manatees can be found in all kinds of waterways around the southeastern U.S., from freshwater rivers and lakes to saltwater coastal areas, estuaries, and canals. With the holiday weekend bringing busy boat traffic, boaters are urged to boat slowly in posted manatee speed zones and watch carefully for manatees on the move.
“Manatees prefer shallow waters that are rich with vegetation,” explains Patrick Rose, Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director for Save the Manatee Club. “When we are boating or recreating in their aquatic habitat, we must take care not to disturb them and especially not to hurt them.” Blunt impacts from accidental watercraft collisions are a leading cause of manatee injuries and mortalities in Florida.
However, it’s critical aquatic habitat loss that is the greatest long-term threat to the manatee’s survival. Save the Manatee Club asks homeowners to do their part to protect aquatic habitat by not fertilizing their yards, especially during the rainy summer season. Fertilizers and other yard chemicals can enter waterways and fuel the harmful algal blooms that kill seagrasses that manatees and other species need to survive. “What you put on your yard affects their lives,” says Rose.
Write to your elected officials to urge them to help manatees in Florida at savethemanatee.org/algae#tips, then learn more about manatees around the world. Save the Manatee Club donations have supported West Indian manatee conservation efforts in Belize, Mexico, and the Wider Caribbean as well as West African manatee research in Senegal and Cameroon. They have also sponsored rescues and health assessments for the elusive Amazonian manatee in Peru and Venezuela. Read more and donate to the International Rescue Fund at savethemanatee.org/
Responsible boaters, homeowners, and manatee advocates all play an important role in protecting manatees at home and abroad. Here’s a quick list of resources to review that can help anyone be a voice for imperiled manatees:
- Report sick, injured, orphaned, or dead manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) by calling 1-888-404-3922 (FWCC). Watch informative videos and get resources for your state at savethemanatee.org/rescue.
- Obey posted speed zones, wear polarized sunglasses to reduce glare on the water’s surface, avoid boating over shallow areas and seagrass beds, stash your trash, and never touch, feed, or give water to manatees.
- Request free tip cards, waterproof boating banners, waterfront signage, and other resources from Save the Manatee Club at savethemanatee.org/resources.
- Take a break from fertilizer and learn other tips that reduce pollution at savethemanatee.org/algae.
- Educators – gear up for the school year with free materials and a virtual guest speaker presentation from Save the Manatee Club. Visit savethemanatee.org/education.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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