Manatee Sightings

Sightings shown on this page are provided as a courtesy to the public. Images are based on high quality data that were subject to consistent standardized quality assurance measures described in Pabody et al. 2009 and in Hieb et al. 2017. The images and accompanying information are not intended to serve as stand alone data sets and should not be used except for general educational purposes. Sightings shown on maps may not represent all sightings present in the Manatee Sighting Network database. If used for any reason, all images are copyright protected, and along with accompanying data, they are the property of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and funding agencies (please cite as indicated below).

Supporting meta-data and raw datasets used to produce these maps can be obtained at https://data.disl.edu/dataset/the-west-indian-manatee-population-in-mobile-bay-al-and-surrounding-waters-1912 (metadata) or by contacting R.H. Carmichael at rcarmichael@disl.org (datasets). Data were obtained or discovered and aggregated by Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network (DISL/MSN) from sighting reports by local residents, other members of the general public, DISL/MSN personnel, or contributing agencies such as the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Weeks Bay and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves, Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program, regional wildlife departments and stranding responders (in TX, LA, MS, AL, FL), the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Save the Manatee Club, members of the media, newspaper and other document archives, and Fertl et al. 2006.

Reference to or use of information on this page, for any purpose, must please include the citation:

Data obtained from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network at http://manatee.disl.org/sighting/map as of [date last accessed].

Funding to DISL/MSN that enabled the data display was provided by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, the Baldwin County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.