ECO PRO
The Eco-Compliant Partner Program: Raising the Bar for Manatee Tours by Alex Brylske, Ph.D. , President, Ocean Education International, LLC, FL
I N CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA, winter isn’t just “man- atee season.” It’s the economic engine and moral compass of an entire coastal community. Citrus County markets itself as the “Manatee Capital of the
new Eco-Compliant Partner Program – a local designation for manatee tour operators who meet heightened environmental and educational standards. For the scuba and snorkel trade, it’s a revealing case study of how a destination is trying to
World TM ”: it’s the only place in the United States where swimming with wild manatees is legal, and hundreds of manatees crowd into its spring-fed bays as Gulf waters cool. That draw fueled more than 656,152 overnight visits and over $526 million in tourist spending in 2024, roughly 15% of all spending in the county. Of those 656,152 visitors, about 300,000 came specifically for manatees.
protect its flagship species and seagrass beds without undercutting the businesses that de- pend on them.
This is about more than tourism, it’s about protecting what makes Citrus County special – our natural environment, our wildlife, and the legacy we leave behind.
This is neither a new state law nor a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regulation. It’s a county-led, voluntary program run by the Citrus County Visitors & Convention Bureau (Discover Crystal River) that piggybacks on existing state and federal rules and aims to distinguish the best operators from the rest. “This is about more than tourism,” said Citrus County tourism director Auvis Cole upon the program’s announcement. “This is about protecting what makes Citrus County special
But that success carries a risk familiar to every dive and snorkel operator working around charismatic wildlife: loving a place to death. In late 2025, Citrus County tourism officials launched a
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker