Annual Measurements of the Number of Powerboat Registrations (In Thousands)

Multiple Choice

Annual measurements of the number of powerboat registrations (in thousands) and the number of manatees killed by powerboats in Florida were collected over the 14 years 1977-1990. A scatterplot of the data, least squares regression line, and correlation coefficient follow.
-Which of the following is a correct interpretation of the coefficient of determination?

A) About 94.3% of the variation in manatee deaths can be explained by the number of powerboat registrations.
B) About 88.9% of the variation in manatee deaths can be explained by the number of powerboat registrations.
C) An increase of 1,000 powerboat registrations is associated with a predicted increase of 0.943 manatee deaths.
D) An increase of 1,000 powerboat registrations is associated with a predicted increase of 0.889 manatee deaths.