WASHINGTON – Federal funding is coming to Florida to support two environmental initiatives critical to the state – the protection of manatees and harmful algal bloom research.
A press release from Congressman Vern Buchanan’s office announced that the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed two of his amendments to the Interior and Environment government funding bill.
The first proposal dedicates $1.15 million for the rescue and rehabilitation of manatees.
In October, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) began the process to consider reclassifying manatees from “threatened” to the more critical “endangered” status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Buchanan introduced the Manatee Protection Act to officially uplist the marine mammal in 2021.
According to the FWC, almost 2,400 manatees have died in Florida since 2021, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimates that there are approximately only 6,500 West Indian manatees in Southeastern U.S. waters.
The ESA defines a threatened species as “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Threatened species receive protection through separate regulations issued under Section 4(d) of the ESA.
The ESA defines an endangered species as “any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Endangered species are automatically protected by prohibitions of several types of “take,” including harming, harassing, collecting or killing, under Section 9 of the ESA.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a species must be listed if it is threatened or endangered due to any of the following five factors:
1. Present or threatened destruction, modification or curtailment of its habitat or range;
2. Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific or educational purposes;
3. Disease or predation;
4. Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and
5. Other natural or human-made factors affecting its continued existence.
In 2016, Buchanan objected to the FWS downgrading the manatee’s designation from endangered to threatened, saying the FWS may have been using outdated data to support the reduction in protection. The manatee had been listed as an endangered species since 1966.
The second proposal will provide $2.5 million to the National Water Quality Program to enhance research into harmful algal blooms, including red tide.
“Over the last several years, the Gulf Coast has experienced severe levels of red tide,” Buchanan said. “Red tide is caused by toxin-producing algae that is extremely deadly to fish and other marine life and adversely affects tourism in the Suncoast region.”
In 2022-23, Manatee County cleared nearly 5 tons of dead fish and debris from area beaches due to a red tide outbreak.
“These commonsense proposals will help ensure the survival of the iconic Florida manatee and combat red tide, which for too long has wreaked havoc on marine life, our waters and the many businesses that rely on Florida’s tourism-based economy,” Buchanan said. “I am very pleased to see these measures pass with broad bipartisan support and look forward to working to see them enacted into law.”
According to Buchanan’s office, he also introduced the Protecting Local Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms Act, which would amend the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include algal blooms in the definition of a “major disaster.” This change would require the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to provide both technical and financial assistance to states suffering from outbreaks of harmful algal blooms like red tide.
