Florida Keys rescuers free manatee tangled in fishing line
Marine mammal rescuers in the Florida Keys were able to wrangle a manatee Wednesday and release monofilament fishing line that was wound and deeply embedded in one of its pectoral flippers.
The difficult operation was carried out by the Marine Mammal Rescue Team based at the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key in the Middle Keys. The team includes the center’s veterinarian, Dr. Scott Gearhart.
Mary Stella, spokeswoman for the center, said the fishing line was so deep into the 1,000-pound manatee’s flipper that it penetrated the soft tissue and bone. It had also been wrapped around the flipper for a long time.
“Both flippers were grossly enlarged due to compromise of blood supply, but they appeared to be still viable,” Gearhart said in a statement.
Residents of the Galway Bay neighborhood in the Middle Keys city of Marathon saw the manatee and reported it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Corralling a manatee is a time-intensive, difficult endeavor. The large sea mammals appear slow, but they can swim at very fast bursts with the flip of their large tails.
The center’s team stretched a net across the width of the canal, and members in kayaks tried to encourage the manatee toward it, Stella said. Making matters more difficult was the presence of as many as five other manatees, including a mother and her calf, in the canal.
Once in the net, the team placed the manatee on a foam stretcher and brought him to a boat ramp. There Gearhart used forceps and scissors to remove the fishing line, Stella said. The doctor cleaned the wounds and flushed them with saline.
“Once the treatment was completed, the team carried Coco back down the ramp and returned him to the water. He swam off without incident,” Stella said.
The team rescued the same manatee in 2018, also because he was tangled in fishing line.
“Unfortunately, once a manatee has suffered and developed scarring from entanglements, it can experience similar problems again,” Stella said. “It is imperative that people carefully collect and properly dispose of fishing line and other marine debris so that it does not enter the water.”
People who see a sick, injured or orphaned manatee should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s hotline at 888-404-3922.
