Manatee and Sea Turtle Decals
Decals look awesome and do great things for manatees and sea turtles!
Your kayak, paddleboard, surfboard, canoe, motor boat or personal watercraft would look awesome with a manatee or sea turtle decal! The decals also look cool on vehicles, laptops, notebooks, in frames or wherever you decide to display them. Best of all, your $5 decal donation helps conserve manatees and sea turtles for future generations. Long may they swim through Florida waters!
“Manatees in Motion” decal
This year’s decal is an awareness reminder that manatees travel throughout Florida’s waterways and move between freshwater rivers and springs, brackish waters, and coastal salt waters. Manatees even use canals and lock systems to enter lakes or may be found in other inland waterways when storm surges provide access from nearby waterbodies.
When boating in Florida, you may share the waterways with manatees. The up and down motion of a manatee’s tail creates a round plume on the water’s surface when the manatee swims, which looks like a series of circles known as ‘manatee footprints.’ If you see a manatee footprint or other signs of a manatee in the water (snout, back or tail), slow your vessel or shut off your engine until you locate the manatee(s) and are far enough away to safely move forward again.
When looking out for manatees:
Wear polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and see below the water's surface.
Get someone to assist you as a proper lookout to
help you avoid manatees while boating
“A Generation of Protection” decal
This year’s sea turtle decal is an awareness reminder that sea turtles face multiple threats from hatchlings to mature adults. It can take 20 to 30 years for hatchlings to return as adults to Florida to nest. They face multiple threats at every step of the journey, from lights on the nesting beach to millions of motorized watercraft in coastal areas.
The decal’s conservation message focuses on keeping beaches and waterways clean. Marine debris can impact sea turtles at all stages of their lives.
Where to get your decals
Every July, the FWC introduces new manatee and sea turtle decals available with a $5 donation. The waterproof decals are designed to look good on a vehicle’s bumper or the side of a boat. Get them when registering or re-registering a vehicle or boat through local tax collectors’ offices across the state.
Vintage manatee and sea turtle decals from 1992 through 2019 are also available.