Friday, February 12, 2010

Peixe-boi (manatee)

I went to do a few days of field work training with Gabi from Ierece’s Lab. We went to a protected area about 90 minutes north of Joao Pessoa in the Bahia de Mamanguape. The protected area is called Projecto Peixe Boi, translation,- project manatee. The bay, its estuary and surrounding barrier reef are known habitat for the endangered manatee. Back in 1993, the environmental department of Brazil, IBAMA, decided to protect the area and base a research and field team there to study the manatees. The manatee species found in this part of Brazil is the same species of manatee found in the waters off the coast of Florida. However in Brazil, it is quite endangered, with only 300-400 individuals left.

Since we went there to do some field work I was hoping we would also get a chance to see a peixe-boi! The first morning of field work proved successful, just as we were coming back from an early morning session of transects, there was a manatee munching on some of the algae on the docked fishing boats close to shore.

The manatee had a tag on its tail. Gabi informed me that there is a captive facility for manatees in the Bahia de Mamanguape, to help re-introduce manatees that have been sick or kept in aquariums back into their natural habitat. Gabi explained that when someone- fishermen, community member, scientist- finds a manatee with health problems, first it goes to another facility in Pernumbuco (another state). The manatee is nursed back to health and then either given to the local aquarium or brought to the facility at Projecto Peixe-boi. The facility is a caged in tidal area in the mangroves. The manatees are fed a combination of carrots, beets, algae and seagrass by the fisheries staff. Usually animals are kept in the re-adaptation facility for 6 months before they are tagged and released into Mamanguape Bay.

I asked Gabi if they had ever done a captive breeding program with the manatees, thinking these facilities might be somewhat similar to those used by NOAA in its efforts to help the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. However, Gabi said they haven’t tried captive breeding, it’s strictly for re-introducing recovered animals back into their native habitat. Tourists visit the area now, with local guides, to see the manatees in captivity, adding an element of alternative sustainable livelihoods to those living in the protected area where commercial fishing is not allowed. Gabi said the tourism is fairy well regulated, no one is allowed to feed the manatees; people speak in hushed tones; and no touching allowed.

Visiting the Projecto Peixe-boi facilities was an extra special treat in addition to learning some field techniques for seahorses. The manatees were graceful and friendly, the management seemingly well run, and it’s hoped that numbers are on the rise in this area of Brazil. What a surprising success story on my search for seahorses in Brazil!

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