Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To Establish Thirteen Additional Manatee Protection Areas in Florida

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), take action to establish 13 additional manatee protection areas in Florida. This action is authorized under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA), to further recovery of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) by reducing the number of takings. In evaluating the need for additional manatee protection areas, we considered the needs of the manatee at an ecosystem level with the goal of ensuring that adequate, protected areas are available throughout peninsular Florida to satisfy the biological requirements of the species, with a view toward the manatee's recovery. We are designating manatee protection areas in Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, De Soto, Hillsborough, Lee, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties. Four of the sites are manatee sanctuaries, where all waterborne activities are prohibited throughout all or part of the year, with exceptions for adjoining property owners. The remaining nine sites are manatee refuges, in which certain waterborne activities are prohibited or regulated for all or some portion of the year. The previously proposed and emergency-designated South Gandy Navigation Channel Manatee Refuge in Pinellas County has been withdrawn. We also announce the availability of an environmental assessment for this action.