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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers manatees-vs.-military debate

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a bid from environmental groups to expand the areas designated as critical habitat for manatees in Florida and Georgia. That’s all well and good, if you’re a manatee -- but the U.S. Navy fears that more protected habitat for manatees may mean less available space to be used by the military. David Fleshler has the story; here’s an excerpt:

The coastlines of [Florida and Georgia] are home to naval installations including Pensacola Naval Air Station, where World War II aviators trained; Kings Bay in southern Georgia, which houses nuclear-armed Ohio-class submarines; and the South Florida Testing Facility in Dania Beach, where the Navy operates an undersea range to determine ships’ acoustical signatures.

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Although the Navy doesn’t object in principle to an increase in protected areas -- and points out the many measures it takes to prevent harm to endangered species -- it says that an overly broad expansion could have ‘significant impacts’ on Navy operations.

‘Manatees and their habitats overlap Navy training and operation areas through the Southeast,’ said a letter from C.R. Destafney, the Navy’s regional environmental program director. ‘Navy’s training involves activities necessary to maintain proficiency in mission-essential areas such as mine warfare, strike warfare, electronic combat and maritime security.’

Among the military’s concerns are security arrangements for Ohio-class submarines entering and exiting Kings Bay. The Navy does not want protections for a marine mammal, no matter how lovable, to compromise security arrangements for submarines approaching shore armed with nuclear weapons.

THERE’S MORE; READ THE REST.

Handout photo courtesy of Sea World

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