CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — To Vickie Hall, manatee season is about educating others on how to respectfully experience swimming with manatees and the importance of their conservation.
Hall is the operations manager and coordinator at River Ventures, a manatee tour guide company in Crystal River, Florida.
“This is a huge part of our community. It’s a huge part of our city. It’s a huge part of what keeps us going,” said Hall.
Hundreds of manatees are beginning to enter the waterways of Crystal River this month, marking the beginning of manatee season which officially started on Nov. 15 and will continue until the end of March.
West Indian manatees migrate to Crystal River every year during the winter months as the ocean’s water temperature decreases. Manatees seek warm refuge in over 70 natural springs on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where the water stays 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
Citrus County is the “Manatee Capital of the World,” according to Discover Crystal River.
It is the only wildlife refuge dedicated to protecting the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, and the only place in the United States where swimming with manatees is legal, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
“We do have this incredible ability to get in the water and experience just being with manatees in their own environment,” said Terry Natwick, the sales and marketing manager of Discover Crystal River. “And that is something that generates not only incredible emotion and just a touchstone to nature, but it also really just impacts us from an economic standpoint.”
Manatee season generates an economic drive in the county by creating more jobs, boosting tourism and inspiring sustainability campaigns, continued Natwick.
More than 20 businesses in Crystal River are dedicated to manatee tours or related excursions.
“So specifically with our shop, we do see an increase in tourism, specifically in the winter months during manatee season versus our off-season (summer months),” said Faith Williams, a swim guide for Explorida.
Explorida is a manatee tour company and gift shop in downtown Crystal River. The manatee theme spans throughout the city with murals dedicated to the marine mammal, and many businesses with manatee in their name.
In 2024, Citrus County had 656,152 overnight visitors, according to the Annual Visitor Impact Report. Natwick said about 300,000 of those visitors were there for the manatees.
“We have people that come in from all over the world to see and swim with manatees and have this experience. So, it really puts us on the map, not just in the United States, but all over the world,” said Natwick.
Tourism is a significant part of Citrus County’s economy and manatee season increases that engagement.
“I would probably go from saying we had about 50 customers a day in the slow time versus 150 a day, if not more, in the winter months,” said Hall.
The 2024 Visitor Economic Impact Report also included that Citrus County received more than $526 million in tourist spending, making up 15% of all spending in the county.
Not only does tourism bring economic benefits, but also environmental awareness and sustainability incentives.
Tour guides help the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) keep manatees cared for, according to Hall.
“One of the things that our guides are trained to look for is if they see an injured or a sick manatee,” said Hall.
She continued that the guides report sightings of unhealthy manatees immediately, even if that means pausing the tour.
“The manatees come first,” said Hall.
Manatee tour guides apply for special-use permits that allow them to give tours in the refuge, according to USFWS.
Manatees are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. These protections make it illegal to touch, harass, capture and kill manatees.
The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was also created for the protection of Florida manatees and to preserve their winter sanctuaries. The refuge includes Three Sisters Springs, King Spring and the entire Kings Bay area.
In 2023 and 2024, hurricanes devastated the seagrass beds in the area, which are a main food source for manatees. This caused them to go back out into the cold Gulf water to eat, leading to a decline in manatee health.
“Last year, our biggest thing was malnutrition and hypothermia,” said Sean McGuire, a former park ranger in Crystal River.
An initiative called the Kings Bay Restoration project was started by Save Crystal River to replant seagrass pods and ensure their growth.
“This year we’re alright, we didn’t have any hurricanes this year, so hopefully this stuff has a chance to really seed and grow,” said McGuire.
Save Crystal River is a non-profit organization aimed at rehabilitating Florida’s waterways. The group cleans permitted parts of the bay’s floor and plants various types of seagrasses in cages to protect it.
“They have successfully replanted I think it’s 125 acres of eelgrass in the Kings Bay area,” said Natwick. She said sustainability initiatives like this create more jobs, and other parts of the state have even begun replicating the seagrass restoration project.
“There’s just an endless supply of positive results that come from things like that, and it’s really kind of made our ecosystem here much more sustainable and easier to maintain,” said Natwick.
Manatee season continues to be a huge part of Crystal River’s economy and community.
“I think this is a little piece of heaven on Earth,” said Hall.
The annual Florida Manatee Festival will take place on Jan. 17 and 18 in Crystal River.