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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 27 october 2021

Florida manatee deaths soar as polluted water kills seagrass

(AP) — Florida fishing guide vive, jeopardizing the manatees’ main than good,” McRae told lawmakers. Yet to environmental groups, the
and environmental activist Paul food supply. Since 2009 about 58% But if the manatees’ numbers keep struggle of the manatee is a signal that
Fafeita says a highlight for his of the seagrass has been lost in the plummeting, “there’s a possibility humans are wrecking the coastal es-
charter customers is spotting Indian River Lagoon, state estimates some level of supplemental feeding tuaries they and many other creatures
the manatees that forage for sea- show. might be in order,” he said. need to survive.
grass in shallow waters. It’s not so
thrilling when they come across “The cold hard fact is: Florida is at a Manatees have struggled to withstand The state Department of Environ-
the emaciated carcass of a mana- water quality and climate crossroads, humans for decades. Boat strikes kill mental Protection has set in motion
tee that starved to death. and manatees are our canary in the dozens of the slow-moving animals a program aimed at sharply reducing
coal mine,” said J.P. Brooker, Florida despite no-wake zones in areas the the load of harmful releases into the
“It’s not good when you’ve got clients director for the Ocean Conservancy animals frequent, and many more Indian River Lagoon by 2035.
on the boat and all of a sudden there’s environmental group, in an opinion bear lifelong scars from such encoun-
a dead manatee,” Fafeita, president piece published by The Invading Sea, ters. There are also threats from red The focus is on cutting introduction
of the Clean Water Coalition of In- a collaboration of 26 Florida news tide outbreaks — and unusually cold of nitrogen and phosphorous that is
dian River County, said during a re- outlets focused on climate change weather. responsible for the seagrass-killing
cent excursion in the Indian River impact. algae blooms. Projects to date have
Lagoon, a favorite hangout for the They are gentle round-tailed giants, reduced releases of these nutrients by
marine mammals along Florida’s east “They are dying off in record num- weighing as much as 1,200 pounds 37% of the ultimate goal, according to
coast. “They’re wanting to see them. bers because we humans have made (550 kilograms) and living as long as the state environmental agency.
They don’t want to see them dead.” Florida waters inhospitable to them,” 65 years or so. Manatees are Florida’s Meanwhile, efforts to rescue and re-
Brooker said. “It’s not just our mana- official state marine mammal and are habilitate starving manatees continue
Florida is experiencing an unprec- tees at risk, it’s a coast-wide ecological closely related to elephants. at locations such as the SeaWorld
edented die-off of manatees this year, problem.” theme park in Orlando to the Tampa
with 959 documented deaths as of Perhaps the best-known and oldest zoo.
Oct. 1. That’s already more than any State and federal environmental of- manatee in captivity, a male named
full year on record, and colder weath- ficials are beginning a manatee habi- Snooty, died at age 69, drowning after The Clearwater Marine Aquarium in
er soon to come could bring another tat restoration program, armed with a hatch malfunctioned in his aquari- September announced plans for a $10
wave of deaths in a population that $8 million in state money approved um at a Bradenton museum in 2017. million manatee rescue and rehabili-
numbers between 7,500 and 10,200 this year by Florida legislators. They tation facility, the fifth of its kind in
along both Florida coasts, according say with cooler winter months on Manatees were listed as endangered Florida.
to state estimates. the way, the tendency of manatees to beginning in 1966 by the U.S. Fish
congregate in warmer waters could and Wildlife Service, a designation A coalition of 16 environmental and
Manatee deaths this year will likely mean many more of the creatures will downgraded to the less-stringent business groups called this summer
double the 593 recorded in 2020, and starve before the restoration work is threatened category in 2016. A new for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to
will far outnumber the latest five- completed. push is on to list manatees as endan- declare the manatee die-off an emer-
year average of 146 deaths in Florida, gered once again to increase their gency, which could focus resources
according to state figures, with no “Seagrass restoration doesn’t happen long-term recovery chances. and attention on the problem. De-
end to the die-off in sight. overnight. We can’t really start plant- Santis hasn’t done it, contending at
ing seagrass until we have water quali- “Florida manatees desperately need a news conference it would “spook
“There is a huge sense of urgency,” ty improvements,” said Michael Sole, us to help them by cleaning up and a lot of people” and possibly trigger
said Gil McRae, director of the state vice chairman of the Florida Fish and protecting their habitat,” said Jaclyn economic harm.
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Wildlife Conservation Commission. Lopez, Florida director and senior
“We’re uncertain how long it’s (high “The winter is coming.” attorney at The Center for Biologi- “We have a lot of money at our dis-
manatee deaths) going to be.” cal Diversity, a St. Petersburg-based posal,” the governor said.
The commission is asking state law- nonprofit intent on saving imperiled
Youtube video thumbnail makers to approve another $7 mil- species. The center and other groups Back out on the water, fishing guide
The reason? Seagrass on which the lion in the upcoming legislative ses- plan to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and activist Fafeita said it’s not just
so-called sea cows depend also is dy- sion for seagrass restoration, mana- Service to boost habitat protections the manatees — seagrass reduction
ing as water quality declines due to tee rehabilitation centers and other for the manatee. also affects other species such as blue
fertilizer runoff, wastewater discharg- projects. At a committee hearing last crabs and speckled sea trout.
es and polluted water that is increas- week, McRae said researchers also are So far, the threatened designation has
ingly diverted on purpose from Lake studying whether humans can feed remained in place. A 2017 federal- “You know, the list just goes on and
Okeechobee to coastal estuaries. manatees without harming them. state analysis pegged the chance of on and on,” Fafeita said. “Right now,
manatee extinction in Florida at less our big concern is the manatee. We’re
These manmade pollutants can cause “Those of you that have paid atten- than a half-percent within the next not going to catch that many fish this
algae blooms so thick that seagrass tion to feeding wildlife know that al- 100 years. year. It’s affecting us some. The true
can’t get the sunlight it needs to sur- most universally, it does more harm impact to be next year.”