A Pioneer of Florida Manatee Research, James ‘Buddy’ Powell, Dies at 70

James ‘Buddy’ Powell, defender of manatees, died on July 19, aged 70

In 1967, on the spring-fed waters of Florida’s Crystal River, a teenager named James “Buddy” Powell encountered a stranger in a rowboat. The man, a Cornell University graduate student, was looking for manatees — a species so obscure then that few had studied it in the wild. Powell, who knew the local springs better than […]

A pioneer of Florida manatee research, James ‘Buddy’ Powell, dies at 70

Powell studied manatees around the world and is remembered by longtime colleagues as a calm and curious scientist.

Whale researcher, aquarium CEO, educator James Powell dies

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell was chief zoological officer at the aquarium and executive director of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute. A noted wildlife biologist and zoologist involved in researching North Atlantic right whales and credited for his work to conserve manatees, sea turtles and other endangered species has died. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced Tuesday that Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, chief zoological officer at th…

Clearwater Aquarium biologist James ‘Buddy’ Powell dies

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Chief Zoological Officer James “Buddy” Powell, one of Florida’s preeminent wildlife biologists and an expert on the West Indian manatee, died July 19 after a brief illness. He was 70. The Crystal River native’s pioneering research, including extensive field work, opened previously-shut scientific doors and led to the protection of habitat and stronger conservation laws for manatees, North Atlantic right whales, Rice’s …