Explanation

Premises:

- To avoid manatee-boat collisions, boat traffic in manatee-populated waters is being required to maintain very low speeds.
- Manatees are unable to hear low-pitched sounds.
- A boat’s sound lowers in pitch as the boat slows.

Conclusion:

This approach (the approach is 'reducing boat speeds') may make things worse.

If we have to cast doubt on the conclusion, we have to show that reducing boat speeds may not make things worse.

Option (A): It doesn't matter how the areas were decided. This option doesn't say that reducing boat speed will not increase collisions.

Option (B): Out of scope of our question. We need to focus on boat-manatee collisions.

Option (C): Boat traffic is increasing. But it doesn't say how reducing speed may not increase number of collisions.

Option (D): It does have something to do with speed of sound. But it says that sound of a boat travels much further under water than through air. If sounds are low pitched manatees may not be able to hear them, irrespective of how far the sounds travel and how far the manatees are from the boat. Lowering of speed of boats could make the situation worse and hence, it doesn't weaken my conclusion.

Option (E): Manatees are unable to discern sounds of boat moving at different speeds over background noise. This means, it doesn't matter at what speed the boat is moving. The manatee will not be able to discern its sound (whether high pitched or low pitched). Hence, reducing the speeds of the boats will not have a negative impact on the number of collisions. It might even have some positive effect since the slow moving boat may be able to see the manatee and change its course in time.

Hence, this option weakened our conclusion.

Answer (E).