Push to ban swimming with manatees

CRYSTAL RIVER - Taking a dip with Florida's gentle giants may be a big no-no someday.

A national environmental group wants to ban all swimming with the manatees.

Kristin Ostrowski recently went on a manatee tour and loved it.

"It was really fun. It was like cool to like swim with them," the 16 year old said.  "They're big, they're kinda scary, but they're really like gentle giants."

The group known as Environmental Responsibility wants to put an end to those sea life experiences. The group says the sea cows are constantly harassed by swimmers.

The group's spokesperson Jeff Ruch claims visitors have been caught time after time violating a number of the interaction rules.

"Half of the swim with interactions are harassment in the form of kicking, standing on, poking, separating calves from mothers, activity that shouldn't be allowed," Ruch said.

But Marty Senetra, who runs a Manatee tour business in Crystal River, says they work closely with Fish and Wildlife officials on educating his customers on the proper treatment of manatees. He says the real threat to the animals is boat propeller.

"[A] manatee's never been petted to death in its life, never happened," Senetra said. "But boats kill 80 to 100 every year."

Senetra doesn't believe Fish and Wildlife officials would ban manatee tours altogether because if they did it would cripple his business and beyond.

"If they cut it out altogether it will wipe out Crystal River and Homosassa they would destroy the economy of both towns," Senetra said.

While the manatee controversy brews, if this environmental group its there way amazing images of manatee close encounters may someday be just a memory.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials were not available for comment on this story. The environmental group says if no action is taken by federal officials by the fall, they will take legal action.