Five-Year Manatee Census and Behavioral Analysis in the Harbor Branch Channel

In 2009, Link Summer Intern, Lauren Nys, started a program surveying manatees in the Harbor Branch channel. Five years later, the program has accrued an abundance of data with the daily help of numerous volunteers. This project compiles and analyzes the data to answer questions about the abundance and behaviors of the resident population of manatees in the Harbor Branch channel. The manatees were found to have a general yearly abundance trend having high numbers in the winter and preferring to aggregate in the West Basin. There is no obvious effect of the 2010 cold stun, however, further research involving photo-identification analysis needs to be completed. The main behaviors exhibited in the challllel involve resting, staying warm, and mating, signifying that the channel is an important habitat for manatees. This project will continue as part of the researcher's undergraduate thesis.