Grassy Key…Dolphin Research Center, the Florida Keys licensed Manatee Rescue Team, is asking residents and visitors in Marathon and nearby areas to be on the lookout for a manatee whose pectoral flippers are entangled in monofilament fishing line. If the animal is spotted, please immediately contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) to report its location. Calling the FWC is the first and necessary step in getting help. Officials urge the public to not attempt to remove any of the fishing line themselves. The line is deeply embedded in the flippers and inexperienced attempts to remove it can cause potentially life-threatening blood loss and other serious health risks for the manatee. Any treatment must only be done by an experienced veterinarian. There is also the risk of injury to people.
While the entanglements are serious, thankfully, they are not life-threatening. This manatee is known to rescuers as Coco and in 2018 was caught, treated, and released for prior entanglements. He was recently seen in the canals of Galway Bay in Marathon.
