How Clearwater Marine Aquarium Protects Manatees

By the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Manatees — gentle, slow-moving marine mammals often referred to as “sea cows” — aren’t just iconic creatures of Florida’s waterways. They’re vital indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems, making them a flagship species for conservation.

A close-up underwater view of a manatee swimming in a tank or controlled environment. The manatee’s textured gray skin and flippers are clearly visible, and another manatee is partially seen in the lower part of the frame. The water has a bluish tint with small light reflections.

Discover how Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) rescues, rehabilitates and releases manatees. Plus, learn how the groundbreaking research from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) helps secure a hopeful future for this species.

Global manatee conservation

Opening the research institute in 2019 expanded CMA’s reach from local rescue to global conservation. CMARI leads vital research to collect vital data needed to address management questions to better understand and protect manatees and their habitats worldwide.

CMARI partners with Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) to ensure naïve rescued manatees not only receive the care they need to recover from illness or injury but also are monitored to enhance their survival to thrive in the wild. A key aspect of this is monitoring their movement and behavior through satellite tracking.

How tracking manatees helps scientists

A manatee lying on a blue mat near a natural waterway, surrounded by vegetation. Two people are kneeling beside the manatee, adjusting straps and monitoring the animal as part of a rescue or health check procedure. Various tools and ropes are placed on the mat.

Satellite tagging allows CMARI scientists to monitor rehabilitated manatees after release. Understanding manatee behavior after they’re returned to the wild is essential to evaluating rehabilitation success and improving future care protocols.

Scientists use the tracking data to:

Monitor how manatees adapt to wild conditions.
Determine their ability to locate warm water refuges during winter.
Study socialization with wild manatee populations.
Observe migratory patterns and habitat fidelity.
Identify key foraging areas and responses to environmental challenges.

CMARI’s efforts have resulted in more than 100 manatees tagged and tracked for the MRP, with a wealth of data collected over the past two decades. This monitoring benefits rehabilitated manatees and informs conservation strategies for wild populations across the southeastern U.S. and Caribbean.

Rehabilitating manatees

A large manatee lying on a blue rescue mat on a wooden platform. Several people wearing outdoor clothing and gloves are kneeling around the manatee, using straps and equipment to secure and assist the animal. The setting appears to be a rehabilitation or rescue area with trees and structures in the background.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has long served as a frontline responder in marine animal rescue. In recent years, the increasing threats to manatees — such as boat strikes, habitat loss, entanglement, ingestion of debris, red-tide exposure and cold stress — have created an urgent need to expand care facilities.

Opening CMA’s Manatee Rehabilitation Center in 2024 allows the aquarium to provide direct medical and rehabilitative care for these marine mammals. The new center includes advanced features, such as ozone treatment and medical pools with false bottoms to allow for easier and safer treatment of manatees.

The first two residents, Yeti and Zamboni, transferred from ZooTampa at Lowry Park, received care following initial treatment for cold stress syndrome. Due to water damage from Hurricane Milton and Helene, the center was temporarily closed. However, as the center comes back online this year, it’ll expand its capabilities and will eventually be able to handle critical care cases, with surgical suites being developed to meet more intensive medical needs.

Manatee conservation in Belize

Belize has the highest known density of Antillean manatees, a subspecies of West Indian manatees. Working with Belize Fisheries Department and local partners, CMARI leads the Belize Manatee Conservation Program, helping propel legislation, speed zones, community outreach and rescue operations.

In 2024, CMA and Belize officials broke ground on the Belize Marine Rescue & Educational Center in Gales Point Village. This new center will offer rehabilitation, veterinary care, education and training in Belize filling a critical gap in regional marine rescue infrastructure. Featuring five USDA‑standard pools, it can host up to 12–15 manatees and support both treatment and public engagement.

How you can help manatees

A close-up of a manatee’s head and snout underwater, showing its whiskers and smooth gray skin. Light reflections from the water surface create bright patterns across the manatee’s face.

Through interactive exhibits and rehabilitation center tours, visitors to Clearwater Marine Aquarium can gain a deep understanding of the threats manatees face and how people can help them. Visitors see firsthand the care these animals receive, while learning about the broader environmental issues that impact their survival.

Thanks to the collaborative work of organizations like CMA and CMARI, there’s hope.

The blending of hands-on care, advanced tracking technology, public education and field research creates a powerful model for marine conservation. The lessons learned from each rescued manatee — like Yeti and Zamboni — enhance our understanding and improve outcomes for future manatees in need.

CMA’s vision, now fully realized with the addition of the Manatee Rehabilitation Center, underscores the importance of action, awareness and research in safeguarding our oceans and their inhabitants.

5 ways to support manatee conservation

Protecting manatees starts with informed action. Here are ways you can support their conservation:

Follow boating speed limits and slow down in waterways less than 5 feet in depth.
Don’t disturb manatees. Observe them from a distance of at least 25 feet or two kayak lengths away.
Report injured or stranded manatees as soon as possible to state officials like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources or South Carolina Natural Resources.
Support organizations, such as CMA, through donations or volunteering.
Educate others about manatees and their role in the ecosystem. Share how we can help them live undisturbed in their natural environment.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s unwavering dedication to manatee conservation is a testament to what’s possible when science, compassion and education come together. Through the work of CMA and CMARI, the future of manatees looks brighter — one rescue, one release and one discovery at a time.

Watch Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s work with manatees on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild episode, “Sea Creatures of the Florida Coast.”