Manatees have been spotted near Hilton Head Island. Are they early this year?
They’re baaaaccckk!!!
A manatee was spotted in the waters of Hilton Head Island’s Shelter Cove Marina on Friday, according to reports from offices housed in the marina and a local marine biologist.
The playful-looking animals are typically one of the first signs of summer in South Carolina.
Manatees are native to Florida, but migrate north to places such as Hilton Head during the summer. Their peak time in this region usually begins around June and lasts through September or October.
But a warmer winter means more hospitable waters for manatees, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, which posted on Facebook about manatee and sea turtle sightings.
Sea turtles begin to approach land when the water is around 70 degrees, marine biologist Amber Kuehn told The Island Packet. Manatees need water to be between 70 and 72 degrees, she added.
The water near Hilton Head is hovering around 69 degrees, so the Lowcountry is on the cusp of prime temperatures for warm-water marine life.
On Hilton Head and in Myrtle Beach, sea turtle nesting season begins May 1 and runs through Oct. 31. That means the state’s beaches and waterways will have even more visitors in the coming weeks.
SCDNR tracks both manatee and sea turtle sightings.
If you see a manatee, report it on the DNR website.
If you see a sea turtle, report it using the Survey123 app on your phone.
Look, but don’t touch manatees!
Manatees are protected under federal and South Carolina laws because they are a threatened species, according to DNR. The animals were considered endangered from 1967 until early 2017, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services reclassified the species as “threatened” after the population grew.
Though the classification changed, the law did not.
It is still illegal to hunt or harass manatees.
That includes touching, watering, hunting or attempting to feed them. Any of those actions could result in fines of up to $100,000 and a year in jail, according to the Marine Animal Protection Act.
Touching or otherwise interacting with manatees encourages them to come where humans are, according to SCDNR spokesperson David Lucas.
That puts the manatees in danger. They can be hit, hurt or killed by boats or become entangled in fishing gear.
Lucas has one piece of advice: “Enjoy manatees from a distance.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 9:54 AM.
