West Indian manatees suffer chronic boat propeller injuries as their slow-moving nature and shallow warm water habitat overlap with heavy boat traffic.
Manatees struck by boat propellers suffer severe lacerations, fractured bones, and organ damage. Non-fatal strikes leave permanent scars and ongoing pain from injuries. Manatees that survive collisions may lose mobility, affecting their ability to feed and thermoregulate. Red tide events cause neurological damage and respiratory distress in affected animals. Human-caused disturbance in resting areas disrupts the thermal regulation essential to their survival in colder water.