More than 1,100 manatees died in 2021, a record high since the turn of the century, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Brevard County on Florida’s east coast had the highest mortality toll, with 359 manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon system, where manatees starved because harmful algae blooms destroyed their primary food supply – seagrass, according to wildlife officials.
Manatee deaths in Florida this century
2000 272
2001 325
2002 305
2003 380
2004 276
2005 396
2006 417
2007 317
2008 337
2009 429
2010 766
2011 453
2012 392
2013 830
2014 371
2015 405
2016 520
2017 538
2018 824
2019 607
2020 637
2021 1,101
Total 10,898
Source: FWC
Algae blooms may also have caused some of the 28 manatee deaths in Manatee County, which includes Anna Maria Island. A red tide lasted for nearly eight months last year in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico around the Island, exacerbated by nitrogen and phosphorus-laden wastewater dumped into the bay in March and April at the closed Piney Point fertilizer plant.
Statewide, last year’s manatee deaths nearly doubled the five-year average of 625 annual deaths. The FWC confirms that 2021 manatee mortalities meet the criteria for an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which has led to agency rescue efforts, including hand-feeding starving manatees.
“We take this situation seriously and are committed to working with our partners including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore short-term solutions to the die-off, as well as much-needed long-term solutions to restoring the lagoon ecosystem,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a press release.
The last manatee population survey, conducted by the FWC in 2019, counted 5,733 manatees in state waters.
Manatee population surveys
2021 not conducted due to COVID
2020 not conducted due to weather
2019 – 5,733
2018 – 6,131
2017 – 6,620
2016 – 6,250
2015 – 6,063
Source: FWC
An alternate method, the abundance survey method, employs mathematical and statistical formulas to extrapolate an estimated number of manatees based on those actually counted, and estimated at least 7,500 manatees in state waters three years earlier, in 2015-16.
Those numbers were cited in 2017 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to remove manatees from the federal “endangered” species list and downlist the species to “threatened.” Manatees had been protected as “endangered” since 1967 under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The downlisting came after the Pacific Legal Foundation, on behalf of Save Crystal River Inc., a recreational boating group, petitioned the USFWS, saying the safety measures addressing the manatee’s endangered level of protection were bad for tourism and boating businesses.
In light of record-high 2021 mortalities, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Manatee) has called on the USFWS to revisit its decision and restore the manatee from “threatened” to “endangered” status, joined by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, co-founder in 1981 with singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett of the Save the Manatee Club.
To help protect the state’s official marine mammal, follow these tips:
- Obey posted signs for manatee slow-speed zones.
- Wear polarized sunglasses to see manatees in your path.
- Keep a lookout for the circular “footprints” or ripples they leave on the surface of the water.
- If you observe a manatee mating herd – several manatees gathering as males vie to mate with a female – watch from at least 100 feet away. Coming any closer might disrupt the mating or endanger you; adult manatees typically weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
- Never feed or water manatees as they will become habituated to people, which could put them at risk of injury.
- Stow trash and line when underway. Marine debris that blows overboard can become ingested by or entangled around manatees.
Contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), dial #FWC or *FWC on a cellphone or text Tip@MyFWC.com if:
- you see a manatee with a pink or red (fresh) wound.
- the manatee is tilting to one side, unable to submerge or seems to have trouble breathing.
- you see a manatee calf by itself with no adults around for an extended period of time.
- you see anyone harassing a manatee in any way.
- you see boaters speeding in a protected area.
- you see a manatee entangled in monofilament, crab-trap lines or other debris.
- you see a dead manatee.
To support the FWC’s manatee research, rescue and management efforts, purchase a Florida manatee license plate or donate $5 to receive a collectible FWC manatee decal at a local Tax Collector’s office.
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