Tomoka River 1985 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，会借助航空分布调查来确定海牛（manatee）的季节性分布范围。多数调查依托四座小型上单翼飞机（赛斯纳172或182）开展，飞行高度为500-1000英尺，飞行速度为70-90节。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，该航线的设计目标是覆盖研究区域内所有潜在的海牛栖息地。这条“理论飞行路径”标示了每次调查所覆盖的区域，但实际执行时，每次调查的飞行航线未必与理论航线完全一致。部分飞行任务会留存调查期间记录的全球定位系统（GPS）航迹数据。本次调查是一项更大规模研究的组成部分：该研究涵盖东海岸6个县，按从北到南的顺序划分为5个调查区段，其中沃卢西亚县与北布雷瓦德县属于第1区段。本次调查的区域涵盖托莫卡盆地与托莫卡河。