All shallow water areas Harry. Dr. lake and the other areas you
mentioned are already manatee zones. As far as a little silliness, I
hope they are as silly "new zone" laws. Such torts will virtually kill
boating in mainstream Florida waterways.

I have lived and boated here most of my life, and have rarely, like
maybe twice, seen a cow in the channal of the river. They don't like
heavy current, though the will swim in it if they have to. When
transiting the downtown jax area cows hug the shore. When in the broad
water south of the base and into orange park and greencove, they stay in
the shallows. I have seen them scratching their back on the pilings of
the Shand's bridge, in 6 feet of water, and the channal is only 12-13
feet deep there. What the locals are ****ed about is the increase of
buffer zones from between 100 and 1500 feet depending on the area to 300
feet everywhere, AND a speed limit river wide of 25 MPH in the channal
which is 80 feet. There will be no wake zones everywhere else. This
includes the ICW and Matanzas, Halifax, and Indian River which will
become entirely a no wake zone because they are less then 6000' wide.

The way the law is written, it is up to the local water-cop to determine
if you are in violation. Quote: "White water showing at either bow or
stern." A O'Day 23' sailboat, under sail, will produce white water at
the bow at 3 to 4 Kts. Heavier boats may not be able to go slow enough
to maintain headway without producing whitewater. Mine certainly won't
If I am maintaining 6 mph againsn't a 6 mph current, I am motionless as
far as land is concerned, But I am tossing a hell of a bow wave and
churning plenty of whitewater and wake at the stern. But, would be
breaking the law as written.

Our (We The People Who Live Here) contention is, The existent zones are
working to protect the cow. We don't want or need further federal laws
to protect them, nor, do we want to be taxed or use existing tax funds
to maintain a bunch of new "manatee zone" signs. The estimate is 12,000+
will be needed state wide.

If you still lived here, you would be as angry as the rest of us.

Capt. Frank

Harry Krause wrote:
Capt. Frank Hopkins wrote:


The point is: there are more then 4000 of the supra nourished herbivores
in the St. Johns River in the September Census. I do not have the
numbers for south FL and Tampa Bay. Perhaps you can provide them and add
the two together. At what point does the population become so large that
it becomes viable? When does a creature no longer need special
endangerment protection. Manatees are still a protected species, they
won't lose that status-ever! The current protection zones are working.
The population increase proves it. In Jacksonville and other cities on
the river, we don't need or want the draconian measures the F&G C are
planning. 25 mph in the channal? gimme a break. My cruiser barely planes
at 25. The sea cow doesn't even like the water in the channel because 1.
its too deep. The cow don't like water more then 8 or 9 feet deep. 2.
there is too much current for it to squat on the bottom. It would be
washed out to sea. 3 No food there. Fat cow don't go where there is no
food (period). Increasing the buffer zones from 1000 feet to 3000 feet
is just plain nuts.




There's a lot of scientifically invalid claims in your post, Frank, and
a little silliness, too. I lived in the Jax-St. Augustine area for more
than five years, and on occasion would see manatees "out in the channel"
of the St. Johns River. I've also seen them doing quite well against the
currents at Mayport and St. Augustine inlets, and I've seen them under
the bridges at Green Cove Springs and Doctors' Lake.