A manatee was rescued from a pound net by a Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) officer and the owner of the net on Sunday near Windmill Point at the mouth of the Rappahannock River. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fisheries website, pound nets consist of a fence leader that interrupts the movements of target species and a heart that funnels fish into the trap (pound) via a no-return mesh tunnel.
There have been several sightings of manatees in Chesapeake Bay over the summer. On Sunday, paddle boarders contacted VMRC that they sighted a manatee trapped inside the net. VMRC officer Neil Gunter found the manatee trapped but unharmed in the net. He contacted the pound net owner and they were able to lower the nets so that the manatee could escape.
When the sea cow was released it appeared to be unharmed and swam away towards the mouth of the bay, said Gunter.
It is unknown if the manatee rescued Sunday is the same one sighted near Windmill Point last month and featured in an Aug. 24 Sentinel story.
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