Clearwater Marine Aquarium chief zoological officer James "Buddy" Powell died Saturday at age 70.
He was described by nearly everyone who met him as a gentle, caring soul. But he was widely known for his dedication to researching manatees.
It was a fascination that started at a young age as Powell grew up in Crystal River — one of the favorite winter haunts of manatees.
And in high school, he was hired by legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau to research the gentle sea cows.
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As he aged, he got to document the mammals in places as diverse as Belize, West Africa and Cuba.
Powell spoke with WUSF's "Florida Matters" after a trip to see Cuba's endangered manatees in 2015.
"It took me years to see my first manatee in Cuba, and the main reason is that they're still hunted," he said, recounting the trip to the Bay of Pigs and Isla de la Juventud. "They're so skittish and shy, it's very difficult to find them. We were the first people to ever use satellite tags to track them like we do regularly here in Florida."
The phrase he often used was "expect the unexpected."
Powell was instrumental in creating a protected area for manatees off Belize in Central America.
He also conducted research among endangered aquatic creatures off Florida's coasts, including right whales in the Atlantic and Rice's whales in the Gulf.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO Joe Handy said Powell was a friend and confidant — adding that he was "one of a kind."
"I don't think there are the appropriate words that can describe how empty people are feeling with the loss of Buddy," Handy said.
Handy also said Powell's depth is "irreplaceable."
"Buddy was a man who revered marine research and committed his lifelong work to manatees and manatee research. He also advanced the field — not just through his work, but through the quiet integrity and passion that touched everyone around him,” Handy said.
"Buddy was someone that you can go out on a boat and he could see a manatee, and he could tell you about the history of that manatee. Just to have that intellectual knowledge and that historical knowledge that carried with someone for 70 years, it's irreplaceable."
Powell was also executive director of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, which involved rescuing and releasing manatees along with other organizations in the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership.
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Last August, the aquarium opened to its manatee rehabilitation center, and for the first time, the aquarium welcomed manatees in need of care.
In 2008, Powell co-founded Sea to Shore Alliance, based in Sarasota. The organization was created to improve the health and productivity of coastal environments. Powell joined the Clearwater Marine Aquarium as vice president of research and conservation when it merged with the alliance.
Powell helped shape the Right Whale Festival in Fernandina Beach over the past 17 years. Co-hosted by Clearwater Marine Aquarium and NOAA Fisheries, the festival is held each November to celebrate the arrival of North Atlantic right whales as they migrate around Amelia Island from November through April. Each year, the event educates more than 25,000 people about the critically endangered whales and efforts to protect them.
Amid all of his research and career milestones, Powell recently returned to the place that first fostered his love for manatees — Crystal River.
Powell is survived by his wife, Maureen, and a daughter, Morgan (Catherine). Plans for a memorial service have not been announced.
