Hi Ian,
Thanks for your question about manatees. In the United States, West Indian manatees are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 which states: "It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and/or one year in prison.
I appreciate your interest in manatees!
Sincerely,
Nancy Sadusky
Communications and
Outreach Director
Save the Manatee Club
500 N. Maitland Ave.
Maitland, FL 32751
1-800-432-JOIN (5646)
www.savethemanatee.org
----- Original Message -----
From: Ian John Smith
To: education@savethemanatee.org
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 3:50 PM
Subject: are the manatees an endangered animal?
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed Apr 30 2003 - 10:00:41 EDT