RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A boat struck and killed a 10-year-old female manatee off Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County.
The manatee washed ashore Monday at Ocean Reef park.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say a necropsy found the 1,100-pound manatee died of blunt force trauma.
Officials told the Palm Beach Post (http://bit.ly/1tdtC8q) the manatee likely died immediately of injuries that included fractured ribs that punctured its lungs.
The agency says that through Sept. 27, 52 manatees have been killed by watercraft in the state this year. Officials suggest that boaters wear polarized sunglasses to reduce glare on the water's surface. That would make it easier to spot manatees more easily.
Officials say another manatee was found dead Monday in Lake Okeechobee in Martin County.
