Grassy Key, FL… Dually, a female manatee known in the Florida Keys as a ‘serial entangler’, was rescued by Dolphin Research Center’s Manatee Rescue Team with assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Miami Seaquarium on Monday, August 23rd in the waters of Sexton Cove off Key Largo. DRC Medical Director Pat Clough and Seaquarium veterinarian Dr. Maya Menchaca removed a massive snarl of monofilament fishing line, chum bag cord, fishing lures, hooks and other marine debris that had not only entangled, but also deeply embedded in Dually’s left flipper. Additional embedded fishing line was removed from her right flipper. The wound was thoroughly cleansed and disinfected and antibiotics were administered. Dually was then fitted with special tracking gear and released.
Rescuers believe this to be one of the most serious examples of entanglement injury ever seen. “Not only was Dually’s flipper caught in that snarl, but a thick conglomeration of fishing line and cord was wound through her flipper around her bone. Her body had actually healed around that material,” explains Pat Clough. “Thankfully, we were also able to remove that material so that the flipper can heal completely.”
Dually has been the object of intense study, monitoring and assessment for several months. Two years ago, she gave birth to her first calf, a male now known as Tom. Although the entanglement injury was serious and certainly uncomfortable, manatee experts knew that it was not immediately life threatening. So motherhood and calf raising took precedence. “The risk of injury and added stress to the calf were too great to attempt a rescue before now,” Clough further explains. Manatee calves usually wean from their mothers at about Tom’s age, which made the rescue attempt possible.
Dually and another well-known manatee named Bonnie are practically ‘poster animals’ representing the serious of entanglement problems in the Florida Keys. Monday’s rescue was the fourth for Dually. Bonnie has been rescued five times. Both manatees are now part of an official entanglement study initiated by an inter-agency Entanglement Working Group. Save the Manatee is funding the project. Expensive satellite tracking gear and experienced staff to monitor the animals and collect the data are necessary for the study, which will help to determine the causes of entanglement and ways to prevent it.
Repeated problems with Dually, Bonnie and other manatees reinforce the need for public assistance to reduce the amount of monofilament fishing line and other marine debris that gets into the water around the Keys. There are several ways that the public can help. If approached by a manatee when fishing from a boat, sea wall or shoreline, reel in all lines until the animals depart to prevent them from becoming entangled. Never leave fishing lines or crab lines unattended or out overnight. Do not discard old line overboard. If fishing line gets snagged in rocks on the bottom, make all attempts to free the line instead of cutting it and letting it remain in the environment.
Monofilament line can be recycled. There are almost 30 recycling bins located at fishing bridges, marinas and other places in Monroe County. For a list of locations, visit The Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program’s website at www.fishinglinerecycling.org.
If you see an entangled, injured or orphaned manatee, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). That is the first step in launching a trained response. Nobody else can initiate the effort. You must call the FWCC.
Dolphin Research Center is the only Manatee Rescue Team in the Florida Keys authorized by the state and federal governments to aid manatees in distress. The team includes professional, specially trained, experienced assessors, rescuers and medical personnel. The training is crucial to reduce the risk of injury to both manatee and man during a rescue. DRC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals and humans and the environment through research and education. Located on the Overseas Highway at mile marker 59, Grassy Key, the center has been home to bottlenose dolphins and sea lions since 1984 and is an accredited member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. For more information, call 305-289-1121.
