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1. MODIFY TURNBULL BASIN AREA – CHANGE MOST OF SHORELINE SLOW SPEED TO 25 MPH ZONE.
We firmly believe that the currently proposed regulations will actually create more harm than good for manatees in this area. All of the flats boat traffic in that area will be forced to relocate to the ICWW to avoid the 10-mile long shoreline slow speed zone; thus, putting all the boat traffic right on top of the majority of the manatees. As shown on the attached FWC aerial survey data (Attachment A), the manatees in this area are primarily found in and around the ICWW, not in the shoreline zone. The proposed rule forces the flats boat traffic, running to and from Mosquito lagoon, to move from relatively manatee free areas to areas where manatees are regularly spotted.
We recommend changing most of the slow speed area to a 25 mph zone as in the ICWW (as shown on Attachment B). Shallow water boats will then be able to continue traveling in the areas where they are far less likely to encounter manatees. Without such a change, we predict that more problems will occur in this area and speed zone advocates will call for even greater restrictions; ironically, to solve the problem created not by boaters but by the FWC’s regulation.
2. MAINTAIN THE 25 MPH SPEED LIMIT IN THE MARKED CHANNEL AT SOUTHERNMOST END OF THE
BANANA
RIVER
(As currently recommended in rule).
This channel and 25 MPH speed limit should be maintained; otherwise, a very long slow speed zone will be established in the only exit out of the southern end of the
Banana
River
into the Indian River
3. ESTABLISH PROGRAM TO DETERMINE EFFECTIVENESS OF MANATEE SPEED ZONES.
Adoption of the proposed
Brevard
County
rule, in conjunction with existing federal manatee zones, will place boating speed and other access restrictions on more than 100 square miles of inshore coastal waters in a single county. The FWC should establish quantitative and qualitative means to determine which of the many and varied speed zones in
Brevard
County
are actually protecting manatees, and to what extent.
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