Indian River County 2002-2004 Manatee Distribution Survey Theoretical Flight Path

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. Small helicopters may be used instead of fixed wing aircraft in urban areas or where waters are particularly opaque and hovering may be required. Surveys are flown along a standardized, theoretical flight route, which was designed to cover all likely manatee habitats in the study area. This "theoretical flight path" indicates the area that was covered during each survey, but it may not be the actual flight route flown on every survey. GPS tracklines recorded during surveys may be available for some flights. Survey area included the Atlantic Coast, Intracoastal Waterway and small tributaries of Indian River County.来自佛罗里达鱼类与野生动物保护委员会（FWC）及其他机构的海洋哺乳动物生物学家，借助航空分布调查确定海牛的季节性分布范围。多数调查采用小型四座高翼飞机（塞斯纳172或182）实施，飞行高度为500至1000英尺，飞行速度为70至90节。在城市区域或水体透明度极低、需悬停作业的场景中，可使用小型直升机替代固定翼飞机。调查沿标准化的理论飞行航线开展，该航线的设计目标为覆盖研究区域内所有潜在海牛栖息生境。该“理论飞行路径”标注了每次调查覆盖的区域，但实际执行的飞行航线未必与之一致。部分飞行任务可获取调查期间记录的GPS航迹线数据。本次调查的区域涵盖大西洋沿岸、内陆水道（Intracoastal Waterway）以及印第安河县的小型支流。