That includes manatees, which the institute occasionally works with under the guidance of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The last instance was several years ago near Deer Point Lake, Holmes-Douglass added.
"A lot of people see manatees in the area and they think they're in the wrong spot — but they do have a migration pattern and it's not uncommon to see them migrate through (the Gulf) this time of year," she said.
She also advised people to never approach manatees in the wild because it could disrupt their natural behavior.
While Reeves said no one got in the water near the manatee Monday, he added that the sighting sparked some chaos on the pier as people ran from every direction to take a closer look.