Manatee County 2025-2026 Manatee Distribution Survey Observations

Aerial distribution surveys are used by marine mammal biologists from FWC and other agencies to determine the seasonal distribution of manatees. Most surveys are conducted from small, four-seat, high-winged airplanes (Cessna 172 or 182) flying at a height of 500-1000 ft at a speed of 70-90 kts. This survey was conducted by an aircraft mostly following a standardized, theoretical flight route, which was designed to cover likely manatee habitats in the study area. Some areas along the planned flight path may have been partially surveyed or not surveyed at all due to air traffic, weather, or other constraints present during individual surveys. See trackline metadata for details of flight path modifications. Flight paths curved parallel to the shoreline, and the airplane circled when manatees were spotted until a count of the number of animals in each group was obtained. Circling was limited to 3 passes unless a group was unusually large and aerial photos were used in some cases to confirm counts. Sightings data were recorded on paper maps and entered into a GIS shapefile for spatial analysis using NAIP imagery and recorded flight paths as a reference. GIS is a computer software system for representing data spatially and for conducting spatial analyses. This dataset includes recorded flight paths from 24 surveys flown on the following dates: 5 and 18 February 2025; 3 and 22 March 2025; 9 and 25 April 2025; 8 and 27 May 2025; 19 and 25 June 2025; 9 and 28 July 2025; 6 and 29 August 2025; 12 and 22 September 2025; 13 and 23 October 2025; 5 and 23 November 2025; 11 and 26 December 2025; and 9 and 23 January 2026. FWC and Mote staff members were the observers for these flights. The survey area includes coastal areas of Manatee County from Tampa Bay to the Sarasota County line, including the Gulf of America shoreline, the Manatee River and other smaller bays and estuaries.