Tomoka River 1985-1987 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. This survey was flown as part of a larger study that included six east coast counties divided into five survey segments from north to south; Volusia and N. Brevard counties were within segment 1. The survey area includes the Tomoka Basin and Tomoka River.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，借助航空分布调查来探明海牛的季节性分布范围。绝大多数调查采用小型四座高翼飞机（塞斯纳172或182型）执行，飞行高度为500至1000英尺（ft），航速为70至90节（kts）。在城市区域或水体透明度极低、需要悬停作业的场景中，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，该航线的设计初衷是覆盖研究区内所有潜在的海牛栖息地。这条“理论飞行路径”仅标明了单次调查的预设覆盖范围，实际执行的飞行航线未必与预设路径完全吻合。部分飞行任务可获取调查期间记录的GPS航迹线数据。本次调查隶属于一项更大规模的研究项目，该项目涵盖东海岸6个县，自北向南划分为5个调查区段；沃卢西亚县与北布雷瓦德县隶属于第1区段。本次调查区域包含托莫卡盆地与托莫卡河。