In 1997, Buddy Powell, Bob Bonde of USGS and Nicole Auil of the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority who is now an Associate Scientist of Sea2Shore, began the Belize manatee conservation project. Belize has the highest known density of Antillean manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, in the world. Unfortunately, because of rapidly increasing coastal development, human related manatee deaths are rising quickly. Poaching, once the major threat to manatees in Belize, has been replaced by boat kills and destruction of habitat as the most major concerns for the survival of the species. Sea2Shore scientists and collaborators provide the data, expertise and scientific exchange that are used by the Belize government to establish sanctuaries, speed zones and other actions that help ensure the survival of manatees in this remarkable country.