Recreation Specialization and Boater Speed Compliance in Manatee Zones

Abstract

Significant growth in recreational watercraft use has been detrimental to the Florida manatee as their habitats often coincide with recreational boating areas. Vessel speed restrictions in manatee zones have been shown to reduce manatee mortality; however, compliant vessel operation in speed zones is critical. This study examined Florida boaters and associated predictors of compliance behaviors utilizing recreation specialization theory. On-water observation was performed to establish vessel speeds at sampling sites during the latter part of the summer 2006, during which the hull-affixed vessel registration number of each observed vessel was noted and used for subsequent mail survey (n = 236). Despite the hypothesized model being a good fit, the path model based on recreation specialization was generally weak when analyzed via Structural Equation Modeling. Specialization was found to have a strong negative influence on marine conservation attitudes; and was a poor predictor of behavioral intentions, self-reported compliance behavior, and observed vessel speed discrepancy.