Manatee County 1985-1986 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. The survey area includes northern part of Manatee County along Tampa Bay, including Manatee River, Braden River, Terra Ceia Bay,Miguel Bay and Terra Ceia Preserve State Park.佛罗里达鱼类和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，借助航空分布调查探明海牛的季节性分布情况。多数普查作业搭乘小型四座高翼飞机（塞斯纳172或182型）开展，飞行高度为500-1000英尺（ft），飞行速度为70-90节（kts）。在城市区域或水体格外浑浊、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。所有普查均沿标准化的理论飞行航线执行，该航线的设计覆盖了研究区域内所有潜在的海牛栖息生境。该“理论飞行路径”标明了每次普查实际覆盖的区域，但并非每次普查的实际飞行航线。部分普查航班可获取调查期间记录的GPS航迹线。本次普查区域涵盖坦帕湾沿岸的马纳蒂县北部区域，包括马纳蒂河、布雷登河、泰拉塞亚湾、米格尔湾以及泰拉塞亚保护区州立公园。