I once saw a park ranger just screaming at a group of guys and threatening them with $5000 fines just for getting near one.

I told a friend of mine who surfs, and he didn't realize they were so protected. He said there's an old girl who comes to visit them when they surf, and she rolls over on her back so they can scritch her belly. I told him it was a $5000 fine, and he was bummed. He liked scritching his manatee friend.

Destroy their entire ecosystem is a ok though :(

Is that like a holdover Jim Crow thing?